Mistrial declared in former Blue Bell CEO's case after jury can't reach verdict
After four days of deliberation, jurors on Monday announced they could not unanimously decide whether to convict former Blue Bell CEO Paul Kruse on federal charges of wire fraud and conspiracy, and the case connected to the ice cream company's deadly listeria outbreak nearly a decade ago resulted in a mistrial.
Prosecutors have the option to pursue a new trial against Kruse, but a spokesperson on Monday declined to say whether they would. Of the 12-person jury, 10 jurors voted for a not guilty verdict, said Kruse's defense attorney Chris Flood.
Blue Bell suffered significant financial losses because of the listeria outbreak. The company shut down production for a time in 2015 and recalled 8 million gallons of ice cream after reports of listeria started coming in. At least 10 people fell ill and two people — patients at a Kansas hospital in 2014 — died as a result of harmful bacteria in the ice cream.
While Kruse learned of positive listeria tests in mid-February 2015, it was not until mid-March that the company communicated the danger to the public, current Blue Bell CEO Ricky Dickson testified last week. Kruse for weeks directed his subordinates to share the listeria issues with food safety regulators but not buyers.
Read more: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/courts/2022/08/15/former-blue-bell-ice-cream-ceo-mistrial-after-hung-jury/65402076007/
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