Austin (AP) – A judge has dismissed federal felony charges against the former CEO of a Texas ice cream company in a case arising from a 2015 listeria outbreak that killed three people. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman of Austin dropped the case against former Blue Bell Creameries CEO Paul Kruse because prosecutors did not seek an indictment from a grand jury. Kruse’s attorneys also noted that he never waived his right to a grand jury indictment. Federal prosecutors say they bypassed the grand jury and charged Kruse by information because the coronavirus pandemic made it unsafe for jurors to meet.
