Kansas
Can Kansas City's Hereford House restaurants survive a food contamination scandal?
A former employee’s alleged acts of intentional food contamination at the Leawood Hereford House have not only resulted in multiple lawsuits over the past month but also damaged the reputation of one of the Kansas City area’s most iconic restaurant brands.
In April, Jace Hanson was arrested and has since been charged with 33 felonies, including dozens of counts related to his alleged acts contaminating food in Hereford House’s kitchen to go with 10 other newer charges in connection to allegedly possessing child sexual abuse material.
Since Hanson’s arrest, at least eight civil lawsuits have been filed in Johnson County Court, by people who claim they got ill after eating at Hereford House during the roughly three-week timeframe when Hanson was employed there.
“This has been a difficult situation for our customers and all of us connected to the Hereford House Restaurant in Leawood,” Hereford House said in a statement emailed to the Post in May.
But the difficulties may not be over.
While local officials in Leawood are scrambling to help prop up the restaurant, which has been a prominent gathering place and civic institution in Johnson County for decades, at least one local food industry expert says Hereford House needs to do some serious rebranding in order to survive this episode and remain in customers’ good graces.
Here’s what we know:
The employee is charged with multiple felonies
Hanson was originally charged in April with one count of criminal threat in Johnson County District Court for the alleged intentional food contamination.
He has has since been charged with dozens more counts and now faces more than 30 felonies, including 10 charges of child exploitation for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse materials.
Hanson worked at the Leawood restaurant from April 6 to 23, according to the restaurant, and in that time, investigators say he intentionally contaminated food by urinating in food and rubbing his genitals on food being prepared in Hereford House’s kitchen. He then posted videos of himself doing so online.
According to a criminal affidavit filed in the case, Hanson admitted to the acts to investigators, saying he did so at the request of men he had met online through apps like Grindr and Sniffy’s who wanted him to make videos of himself contaminating food.
Following Hanson’s arrest, the restaurant said in a press release that its staff took immediate action and was cooperating with investigators.
“[Hereford House] immediately took all measures and steps to thoroughly clean and sanitize the kitchen in accordance with health department guidelines,” the statement said.
Leawood Police said test results showed Hanson had no infectious diseases that posed a risk to customers who may have consumed tainted food.
Requests for comment from Hereford House’s marketing team and legal representation for this story were not returned.
Since putting out a request for responsesfrom customers who ate at the restaurant during the dates Hanson worked, Leawood Police say that hundreds of people have reached out to them.
The restaurant now faces at least eight lawsuits
The restaurant faces at least eight lawsuits in Johnson County District Court, including suits filed by a Jackson County couple and aClay County man.
The lawsuits accuse Hereford House of causing the plaintiffs pain and distress when they became sick after eating at the Leawood location.
Representing five out of the eight plaintiffs, attorney Bradley Honnold said while his clients are claiming negligence by Hereford House, the main focus is on the restaurant selling tainted food to its customers.
“This is a products liability case about the condition of the food,” Honnold told the Post. “It was tainted, contaminated food that was sold and it’s illegal to sell tainted contaminated food in Kansas, both in terms of the warranty that goes along with any food products that any innocent consumer buys, as well as products liability law that says if someone sells a defective product, then they are liable and responsible for damages of harm if harm is suffered by the purchaser of the product.”
The incident has gained the attention of other local law firms. In a Facebook post in late May, Kansas City-based injury law firm Shamberg, Johnson & Bergman urged Hereford House customers who experienced illness after eating there to contact the firm.
“Our team is investigating food contamination reports at Hereford House’s Leawood location,” the post read. “Your safety is our top priority, and we’re committed to seeking justice for those affected.”
The restaurant is a staple in the Kansas City area
Originally opened in Kansas City in 1957, Hereford House currently has four locations in the Kansas City area, including in Leawood and Shawnee.
The original location in downtown Kansas City burned down in 2008.
The restaurant’s former owner Rodney J. Anderson and two co-workers, Vincent Pisciotta and Mark Sorrentino, were later sentenced to federal prison after they were convicted of intentionally setting fire to the landmark building in order to collect insurance money.
Hereford House is now owned by Mary Holland, a member of the Leawood Chamber of Commerce, who acquired the restaurants in 2012 with her business partner Camellia Hill.
Hereford House is a member of Kansas City Originals Restaurants, a nonprofit independent restaurant association dedicated to sustaining the independent Kansas City restaurant scene, as well as the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association, which represents and offers training, including food safety education classes, to local restaurants.
Ever since it opened in the late 1990s, the Leawood location has been a local gathering place, known for hosting graduation parties, wedding receptions and civic events like regular meetings of the Leawood Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club.
“It’s always been a top-rated, very well-respected restaurant group … and has a great history throughout the city,” Leawood City Councilmember Lisa Harrison said.
Local officials are defending Hereford House’s reputation
Having family in the food industry, as well as being a former food service worker herself, Harrison empathizes with the restaurant and what it’s going through.
“I know that, unfortunately, bad things can happen in any kitchen. And that’s just a fact,” she said. “If people don’t know that, then they’ve got tunnel vision.”
Since the news broke about the alleged contamination at Hereford House, Harrison said that she, along with other Leawood city councilmembers, have made it a point to support the restaurant as much as they can.
“I think it’s a real shame that the nefarious acts of one person can have the potential to put 50 or 100 people out of work if a restaurant group closes because of the acts of one person who is no longer obviously there,” she said. “We can’t let one person’s bad acts tarnish the reputation of such a great restaurant.”
Stephanie Meyer, president of the Leawood Chamber of Commerce, echoed that sentiment.
“We’ve had a lot of folks reaching out and asking how they can help and what I’ve been saying is ‘Go eat at the restaurant,’” she said. “People are interested in helping and supporting and giving back to a restaurant and ownership who’ve given a lot to our community.”
Is a rebrand needed?
Still, the incident and the continuing legal fallout have been blows to Hereford House’s reputation.
Some longtime customers who say they fell ill after eating at Hereford House told the Kansas City Star they would never return to the iconic steakhouse.
In order for the restaurant to survive, it will have to make clear that this incident was uncommon, Trey Meyers, director of communications for the Missouri Restaurant Association, said.
“This was definitely one of those isolated incident cases of an individual person of interest that had no history, no priors, of an incident like this happening before,” he said. “And he kind of just did these heinous acts just out of pure enjoyment, from what it seems from all the reports and documents that we read about the situation.”
While Meyers praised the restaurant for cooperating with authorities and initiating immediate deep-cleaning protocols, he said they will have to undergo a rebranding where they emphasize their safety and cleanliness in order to make sure customers know something like this won’t happen again.
“It’s one of those deals of an organization entity just has to go through a rebrand phase,” he said. “It’s one of those situations where they coordinate with certain enforcement entities that they need to to make sure their situation gets resolved and everybody’s safe and everything’s up to code. But it’s just one of those deals of we’re waiting for time to pass and see how it all plays out.”
What’s next
Leawood investigators are continuing to ask anyone who ate at the restaurant between March 26 to April 23 and later became ill to contact the Leawood Police Department by e-mail at tips@leawood.org or by calling 913-266-0696.
Hanson remains in custody at the Johnson County Adult Detention Center in New Century on $500,000 bond.
His next court date is scheduled for July 10.
This story was originally published by the Johnson County Post.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — From 25,000 parking spots to 19,000 within a 10-minute walk to the stadium, that’s how many Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says will be available near the new Royals ballpark in Crown Center, with 9,000 of those spots on the actual campus.
While there will be less parking, Royals fan Roger Nickell says he believes this move is good for Kansas City.
“I think anything that makes Kansas City an exciting place to come to, and a good destination, the parking itself is not going to be the issue,” Nickell said “We’d rather have good things in our city, and if you go to other cities, Kansas City is actually really, really easy right now.”
While it might not be ideal for some, downtown stadiums and parking is the normal for a number of teams and cities throughout Major League Baseball. Upwards of 20 teams have a stadium in the downtown area, including the Twins, Cardinals and Tigers.
“I think every new stadium in the MLB is being built downtown, so I kind of expected it,” Royals fan Jackson Fort said. “I think parking will be kind of, they’ll have to figure out something because there’s going to be a big building and not a lot of space to put it. I think you’ll see a lot more Ubers and less of that tailgating scene that the chiefs and the royals are so known for.”
While tailgating as we know it will look different, walking to the stadium won’t actually look that bad if you use the streetcar. From the stop at the World War I Museum, you’re looking at a nine-minute walk to Crown Center, and four-minute walk if you get off at Union Station.
“I think it would be a good thing for the city, for the baseball park and for everybody,” avid streetcar user Gary Henderson said. “Especially for the people who use the trolley would get a chance to see how comfortable it is and maybe it’ll increase their business too.”
With hopes of the new stadium to be ready for opening day in 2030, the Royals, Kansas City, and fans have time to figure out any potential obstacles.
“I think we’ll get to figure it out,” Royals fan Caden Tucker said. “I think that they have plenty of time to be able to figure everything out and make sure everything’s not going to be packed in here and just kind of slowed down in the process.”
While a lot of parking will be taken away in the near future, if one thing is for certain, the Royals will not. The current lease for Kauffman stadium is set to expire in 2031.
We recognize you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which
enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore access cannot be granted at this time.
For any issues, contact news@kake.com or call 316-943-4221.
Kansas
Final 7-Round Kansas City Chiefs 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Putting my skills to the test against an AI trained to think like Brett Veach
I trained my AI to think and draft like Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach. Then I challenged it to a duel for my final 2026 NFL Mock Draft.
YouTube/Chiefs
You’re going to see a lot of final mock drafts for the Kansas City Chiefs this week, but I decided to make mine a little bit differently this year.
I wanted to give Chiefs fans an idea of what I would do while also adding a predictive element. What I settled on was a dueling mock draft against an AI trained to think like Chiefs GM Brett Veach.
How did I train my AI? First, I uploaded Veach’s draft history since he took over as general manager following the 2017 NFL Draft. Then, I fed it pre-draft and post-draft press conference transcripts to give the AI context on how Veach views the NFL Draft. I weighted the more recent press conferences more heavily. From there, I uploaded historical data on key thresholds at specific position groups. It had access to confirmed combine formals and pre-draft meetings with 2026 NFL Draft prospects, along with historical context on their importance.
I also uploaded the Chiefs’ stats from last season so the AI could quantify areas that needed improvement relative to NFL averages. The final piece of the puzzle was to upload the Chiefs’ 90-man offseason roster and team needs.
To execute the mock draft, I used the A to Z Sports NFL Mock Draft Simulator. I provided the AI with the list of the 10 best available players at a given pick. I made my picks before the AI, but I didn’t tell it who I had chosen. The AI was prompted to use all available data to make a decision for each draft pick. With all that in mind, here’s a look at how the mock draft competition turned out.
Final Kansas City 2026 NFL Mock Draft
Pick No. 9
Top available: Mansoor Delane, Caleb Downs, Jordyn Tyson, Spencer Fano, Makai Lemon, Monroe Freeling, Jermod McCoy, Kenyon Sadiq, Ola Ioane, and Keldric Faulk.
My pick: Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson
Solving for the Chiefs’ need for “the guy” on offense in the future just feels like the right move for this draft class. Travis Kelce can’t play forever. Add Tyson and get back to scoring 30+ per game.
What AI Brett Veach did: Auburn DE Keldric Faulk
Edge rusher was the No. 1 need that I provided to the AI. At 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds with 34-inch arms, Faulk meets virtually every Chiefs threshold from a physical standpoint. It’s not an exciting pick for fans, but even a robot can see the upside here.
Pick No. 29
Top available: Kadyn Proctor, Akheem Mesidor, Caleb Banks, Cash Howell, T.J. Parker, CJ Allen, Denzel Boston, Chris Johnson, R Mason Thomas, and Colton Hood.
My pick: Tennessee CB Colton Hood
I’m becoming increasingly comfortable with the idea of taking a cornerback early. The old NFL adage goes that you can never have too many cornerbacks, and the Chiefs need bodies there. Not just for 2026, but also for the long term. Hood gives you a physical man coverage corner who can play outside, but probably crosstrains inside, too.
What AI Brett Veach did: Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor
Offensive tackle wasn’t rated as highly on the AI’s needs list. However, the Chiefs did have a top-30 visit with Proctor. I think it probably took note of Brett Veach’s comments about offensive tackle drying up by pick No. 35. He also hits some athleticism thresholds, despite missing on one key measurable (arm length).
Pick No. 40
Top available: Caleb Banks, Chris Johnson, R Mason Thomas, Denzel Boston, Chris Bell, Zion Young, Christen Miller, Chris Brazzell, D’Angelo Ponds, and Gabe Jacas.
My pick: Florida DT Caleb Banks
There are obviously some questions regarding the nagging foot injury. Plus, there’s still some development and pad-level issues to work out. I just think the 6-foot-6, 310-pound defender would really thrive by learning from Chris Jones.
What AI Brett Veach did: Florida DT Caleb Banks
What a copycat. Based on the information I gave the AI, this doesn’t surprise me. Banks had the medical top-30 visit with Kansas City. Veach, of course, mentioned needing two more defensive linemen in this class during his pre-draft presser. This just makes me feel even more strongly that this is a no-brainer pick if he’s available at pick No. 40.
Pick No. 74
Top available: Ted Hurst, Davison Igbinosun, Dom Orange, Antonio Williams, Jonah Coleman, Genesis Smith, Caleb Tiernan, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Will Lee III, and Keionte Scott.
My pick: Penn State DE Dani Dennis-Sutton
A member of the 2026 All-Juice Team, Dennis-Sutton feels like he was built in a lab solely for Steve Spagnuolo. He hits all of the physical thresholds, but also is quietly one of the more productive players at the position.
What AI Brett Veach did: Georgia State WR Ted Hurst
I think this might have been a “best player available” pick for the AI. Hurst took a pre-draft visit with the Chiefs, and wide receiver is pretty high on the needs list. It makes sense why the AI Brett Veach would value him here.
Pick No. 109
Top available: Brian Parker, Nick Singleton, Isaiah World, Oscar Delp, Dontay Corleone, Bud Clark, Kaleb Proctor, Harold Perkins, Emmett Johnson, and Charles Demmings.
My pick: TCU S Bud Clark
A versatile safety prospect for the Chiefs. Clark has ball skills for days, with four consecutive college football seasons with 3 or more interceptions. At 6-foot-1 and 188 pounds, he’s also a physical presence in run support. He fits the Spags mold.
What AI Brett Veach did: Stephen F. Austin CB Charles Demmings
Cornerback also ranked highly on the needs list, so I can see how the AI prioritized this position group at this pick. Veach also has a history of drafting FCS talent, including Fayetteville State CB Joshua Williams and Western Illinois DT Khalen Saunders. Demmings fits the mold for what K.C. likes at the cornerback spot in terms of physicality and athleticism.
Pick No. 148
Top available: Sam Roush, Kevin Coleman, Jalon Kilgore, Billy Schrauth, Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Ephesians Prysock, Justin Jefferson, Zane Durant, Logan Taylor, and Jeff Caldwell.
My pick: Stanford TE Sam Roush
I’m a big Roush fan. He’s already one of the better blocking tight ends in the class, but I also think there’s big upside as a pass-catcher. He has a 6-foot-6 and 267-pound frame. Plus, he’s a legacy player in Kansas City.
What AI Brett Veach did: South Carolina DB Jalon Kilgore
Nickel/safety versatility probably appealed to the AI here. There’s also really good ball production with eight career interceptions and 21 passes broken up. I think he’s rather role-limited in the NFL, but the AI could’ve done a whole lot worse at pick No. 148.
Pick No. 169
Top available: Landon Robinson, Josh Cameron, Caden Curry, Taureen York, Demon Claiborne, Domani Jackson, Eli Raridon, Cade Klubnik, J.C. Davis, and Keagen Trost.
My pick: Illinois OT J.C. Davis
I hadn’t taken an offensive tackle yet, so this felt right. This one is a bit of a homer pick as Davis played for my UNM Lobos before transferring to play for my Fighting Illini. If the Chiefs wait on offensive tackle, he’s the one I’d want them to target.
What AI Brett Veach did: Navy DT Landon Robinson
Doubling up on the pass-rushing interior defensive linemen. I see you, Brett Veach AI. Robinson is undersized, but his athleticism and production are absolutely worth taking a chance on. Being the top-ranked player on the list I gave to the AI probably played a part in this decision.
Pick No. 176
Top available: Jeremiah Wright, Ar’Maj Reed-Adams, Mikail Kamara, Marlin Klein, Adam Randall, Trey Moore, Jakobe Thomas, Nick Barrett, Kaelon Black, and Febechi Nwaiwu.
My pick: Michigan LB Jimmy Rolder
Call it a reach on my part, as Rolder is 201 on the A to Z Sports big board. Only a one-year starter. Instinctive with impressive closing speed at 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds. He’s someone who could slot in as a SAM linebacker in 2026, but potentially develop into the green-dot-wearer down the line.
What AI Brett Veach did: Indiana RB Kaelon Black
I noted three things the Chiefs still needed at running back in team needs for the AI: Pass protection, short-yardage, and return specialists. Black (5-foot-10, 210 pounds) can handle the first two, at the very least. The one thing I found interesting here is that running back was very low on my AI’s needs list.
Pick No. 210
Top available: Tyren Montgomery, John Michael Gyllenborg, Robert Spears-Jennings, Skyler Gill-Howard, Diego Pounds, Carver Willis, Caleb Douglas, Eli Heidenreich, Red Murdock, and George Gumbs Jr.
My pick: Florida EDGE George Gumbs Jr.
Gumbs felt like that developmental speed-rusher prototype that the Chiefs want, but haven’t really hit on. He’s long (6-foot-6 with 34-inch arms), springy, super-athletic, and the flash plays look really good. It’s just all about further development and consistency.
What AI Brett Veach did: Buffalo LB Khalil “Red” Murdock
The AI got a little sassy with me and spat out Red’s government name. I feel like Brett Veach’s recent comments about the linebacker position stuck with the AI here. I also feel like it valued Murdock’s production (364 tackles and 17 forced fumbles in his career).
Final verdict
Charles Goldman’s Final 2026 NFL Mock Draft:
- 9: Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson
- 29: Tennessee CB Colton Hood
- 40: Florida DT Caleb Banks
- 74: Penn State EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton
- 109: TCU S Bud Clark
- 148: Stanford TE Sam Roush
- 169: Illinois OT J.C. Davis
- 176: Michigan LB Jimmy Rolder
- 210: Florida EDGE George Gumbs Jr.
AI Brett Veach’s Final 2026 NFL Mock Draft:
- 9: Auburn DE Keldric Faulk
- 29: Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor
- 40: Florida DT Caleb Banks
- 74: Georgia State WR George Hurst
- 109: SFA CB Charles Demmings
- 148: South Carolina DB Jalon Kilgore
- 169: Navy DT Landon Robinson
- 176: Indiana RB Kaelon Black
- 210: Buffalo LB Red Murdock
Overall, I was surprised by how well the AI drafted. My draft feels a bit more top-heavy with the instant-impact contributors, but I think the AI might’ve actually done a better job on Day 3. That felt especially Brett Veach-like, given his history and penchant for finding late-round steals.
If I do this again next year, I think I’ll feed the AI some of our draft rankings at A to Z Sports to give it better context. It had access to prospect data, but not any specific set of rankings. That’s probably the one area this experiment failed. The only context it had for “best” was the order of the 10 players I gave it to choose from at each pick. If I had the ability to “reach” as I did at 176, the AI should be able to.
-
Mississippi5 minutes agoJackson council reviews water authority as Horhn offers few details on plan
-
Missouri12 minutes agoMissouri Senate rejects increase to school funding despite shortfall in state payments
-
Montana17 minutes agoMontana Class AA girls track and field leaders ahead of Optimist Invite
-
Nebraska24 minutes agoToday in History – April 23: Cottonwood named Nebraska’s state tree
-
Nevada30 minutes agoThree more Nevada counties included in disaster declaration
-
New Hampshire35 minutes agoN.H. lawmakers to vote on increasing tolls, civil rights, and k-12 education – The Boston Globe
-
New Jersey42 minutes agoWhen do hummingbirds return? See the migration map
-
New Mexico48 minutes agoState Police investigate shooting involving US marshals in Deming