041035 Illinois Contaminated Chicken Case Moved to DecemberOctober 31, 2004Joliet, IL - The state and the defense still are gathering evidence in the case of two state workers charged with reckless conduct after contaminated chicken was served at a school. Although the final pretrial hearing for Mark Haller and Katherine Keylor, food service employees who worked for the state school board, was scheduled for Friday, the case continues to move slowly through the court system. In May 2003, Haller and Keylor, who live in Southern Illinois, were charged with 45 counts of reckless conduct. Keylor has since retired from her job. Haller has been reassigned to another position. In November 2002, students and teachers at Laraway School became ill after eating lunch. Their entrees of chicken tenders had been contaminated with ammonia while stored in a warehouse in another state, authorities said. The ammonia in the food was 133 times higher than the acceptable level, experts said. A separate civil suit was settled out of court in August. The case will return to court at 9 a.m. Dec. 17.
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