BULLETIN — The United States v. Paul Kruse trial in Austin, Texas ended Mondy in a mistrial.
The jury apparently split 10-to-2 with the majority wanting to acquit the 67-year-old retired president of Blue Bell Creameries, based in Brenham, Texas. He was tried on federal felony counts of conspiracy and fraud related to a 2015 mysterious outbreak that shut down Blue Bell’s ice cream production in three states and caused the recall of all its products.
The trial ended in a mistrial Monday. It began on Aug. 1 with jury selection in Austin’s Western District Court. Kruse did not move fast enough for government prosecutors who said he was slow to share information with Blue Bell Customers and the public after he found out about the Listeria infections. A majority of the jury, however, seems to agree with the notion that Kruse did the best he could with the information he had during the crisis.
Government prosecutors have not said if they will pursue another trial.
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