KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A former Hereford House employee was sentenced to over 11 years in prison after contaminating food at the restaurant's Leawood location.
A Johnson County judge sentenced Jace Christian Hanson to 136 months, which is the maximum sentence allowed by law.
He was originally charged with one count of felony food contamination on April 26, 2024.
Hanson was hit with more than 30 new felony charges in June 2024, facing 22 counts of felony food contamination, one felony count of criminal damage to the restaurant and 10 counts of felony sexual exploitation of a child.
He later pleaded guilty to the 33-count complaint in July 2025.
Two days before Hanson was charged, a special agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation contacted the Leawood Police Department after receiving a tip about contamination at Hereford House.
The agent said he received reports that an employee had been contaminating food by urinating on it and rubbing their genitals on it, as well as posting it online.
The investigation led to Hanson being identified as the suspect.
When confronted by authorities, Hanson admitted to the behavior.
Hanson told detectives he contaminated food more than 20 times.
Hereford House said Hanson worked part-time for the establishment for less than a month, narrowing down the time frame to roughly April 6 to April 23.
Upon learning about the contamination, the "disturbed and angered" establishment said it destroyed all food in the kitchen area and thoroughly cleaned and sanitized the restaurant.
In May 2024, Leawood police announced results that revealed there was no ongoing risk for infectious disease for customers at Hereford House after Hanson contaminated the food.
A few days after the release of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment's test results, a customer who dined at Hereford House filed a lawsuit against the restaurant, claiming they fell ill after eating lunch there.
Leawood police say they eventually received 380 tips regarding food contamination from people who ate at the restaurant after establishing a secure form for diners to submit their information.
The Leawood location closed Aug. 3, 2024, due to "financial strains" stemming from Hanson's then-ongoing case.
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