James Simpson, former owner of Champion Meat Processing, has made a deal with Freestone County.
In exchange for a guilty plea, half of the thirty-two charges of mishandling deer meat, assessed in February 2014, were dropped.
For the remaining sixteen charges, Simpson was ordered to pay $100 per incident plus court costs, and fines totaling $4,784.
These charges stem from a January 2014 investigation of deer meat that was not edible, conducted by Game Wardens at the former Champion Meat Processing in Freestone County.
Mr. Simpson destroyed the carcasses on January 13, 2014, after the meat was deemed unsafe for human consumption by a State Health Inspector; and he advised customers he would make restitution of $150 each for the loss of their meat.
Originally, the cases were to be heard by a Justice of the Peace; however, Simpson chose to take his cases to a higher court, meaning that County Judge Linda Grant would hear the cases for Champion Meat Processing.
Judge Grant ordered a jury trial, but a date was not set because Assistant County Attorney at the time, Cari Heinen, offered a deal.
Simpson had leased the old J&S building in Stewards Mill, when he originally opened Champion Meat Processing. In the Fall of 2014, the building was leased to Dustin O’Bannon, owner of Redemption Meat Processing.
Since then, the award-winning J&S Meat Processing, with decades of service to Freestone County, has returned and currently operates from this location.
Simpson also received 50 similar charges at his Jewett location, Brothers Meat Processing.
Case status in Leon County was not available at press time.
