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News Releases
SUSPECTS IN CRACKER BARREL "MOUSE-IN-SOUP" CASE CONVICTED
Trial revealed defendants planned $500,000 extortion scheme
LEBANON, TENN (May 1, 2006) – Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. ("Cracker Barrel") today announced the end of a two-year investigation into extortion surrounding a food tampering incident at its location in Newport News, Virginia. Last week in Newport News, a jury convicted Carla Patterson and her son, Ricky Patterson, on felony charges of conspiracy to commit extortion. The jury recommended sentences of one year in jail and a $2,500 fine for each defendant. Sentencing will occur July 5th.
"Cracker Barrel is very grateful to the Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn, his Chief Assistant Shannon Hoehl and the Newport News Police Department for securing convictions," said Cy Taylor, president and chief operating officer of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. "Their efforts protected the Newport News community and established this as a fraudulent scheme to tarnish our reputation."
In May 2004, Carla Patterson and her two sons were dining at the Cracker Barrel location in Newport News. Shortly after being served a bowl of vegetable soup, Mrs. Patterson claimed to have found a dead mouse in the bowl. Store management immediately isolated the soup and the company stopped serving it nationally. Over the following weeks, Cracker Barrel completed an extensive audit of the company’s quality controls, health department inspections and thorough laboratory tests. As the investigation unfolded, the mounting evidence led investigators to conclude that the mouse was placed in the soup after the server delivered the food to the Patterson’s table.
In December 2004, a grand jury indicted Ricky and Carla Patterson on felony charges of conspiracy to commit extortion. The charges stemmed from the defendants demanding $500,000 from Cracker Barrel in exchange for photographs of the mouse, which Ricky Patterson took with his cell phone during the incident, and for a public confession that Ricky Patterson planted the mouse in the soup as a practical joke. In testimony last week, witnesses described the extortion scheme and physical evidence that demonstrated that the Pattersons’ original claim that Cracker Barrel had served Carla a bowl of soup with a dead mouse in it was completely false.
In reacting to the convictions, Cy Taylor thanked employees at the Newport News Cracker Barrel for enduring the challenges created by this incident. "Our employees came to work every day because of their dedication to each other and to providing great guest service," said Cy Taylor. "We are very grateful for their hard work to restore and strengthen the community’s trust in Cracker Barrel."
Media Contact:
Jim Taylor
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.
(615) 235-4082
jtaylor@crackerbarrel.com
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