FINAL DOCKET CALL SET FOR MARCH 31 FOR SECOND KRUSE TRIAL
A final docket call is scheduled for March 31st in the second trial proceedings for former Blue Bell Creameries president and CEO Paul Kruse.
A report from Food Safety News says this will be the last meeting prior to jury selection on April 10th. Judge Robert Pitman in the Western District Court in Austin ordered Kruse, his defense attorneys and federal prosecutors to be in attendance at the hearing, and Pitman will hear any pending pre-trial motions at that time.
A mistrial was declared in August for Kruse’s first criminal trial, as the jury voted 10-2 to acquit Kruse. He faces one count of conspiracy and five counts of fraud in connection to Blue Bell’s listeria outbreak in 2015.
Kruse was first charged in May 2020 on allegations of covering up what the company knew about listeria contamination at its facilities. Those charges were initially dismissed because an indictment was not obtained from a federal grand jury, but an indictment was secured in October 2020.
Blue Bell pleaded guilty separately to two misdemeanor counts of distributing adulterated ice cream products and agreed to pay a total of $19.35 million in fines, forfeitures and civil settlement payments.
What a complete waste of taxpayer money. What happened with Blue Bell and the folks who suffered and died is really sad and I am sorry that happened. However, Blue Bell has paid literally millions of dollar to fix the situation, paid civil damages, and suffered in the market. They have done what they needed to do to properly rectify this situation. It is time to move on and stop going after a former company official and stop wasting our money.
“Judge Robert Pitman stated in his order declaring a mistrial that members of the jury told the court they were “hopelessly deadlocked.””
As a judge, he has no choice but to accept the decision and to allow the legal system to follow its course. The decision to pursue is based on the prosecution; if another mistrial were to occur, they would likely drop the entire proceedings and walk away. However, because there was a death connected to the ‘adulterated products’, that may add to the fervor in prosecution.
Ned to take this trial to Kansas where they had the issue not Texas where will never get a fair jury.
I wish this Judge Robert Pitman was spending his own money on this retrial. What part of no does he not understand,stop wasting our taxpayer dollars cause he did not like the outcome. These appointed people just waste money. The whole incident should have never happened and there was a trail and the jury made a decision so move forward and Stop the Stupid spending. How does the taxpayer gain anything from this retrial? We the people as taxpayers need to start demanding accountability to needless spending.