A former worker at Tyson Foods’ poultry complex in Tecumseh, Nebraska, was found guilty on charges of misdemeanor criminal trespassing, but the jury was deadlocked on charges of arson and animal cruelty the suspect also faced in relation to a 2019 fire that destroyed a Tecumseh poultry barn.
Kimberly Bohling, who was arrested in April 2019 on suspicion of trespassing on the property and setting the barn on fire, appeared in court for a jury trial that started last week and continued through Monday, February 15.
After 11 hours of deliberation, the jury declared itself deadlocked on the arson and animal cruelty charges, but it did find her guilty on the criminal trespassing charges, reported News Channel Nebraska.
According to the report, the state fire marshal’s office listed the cause of undetermined. However, GPS data presented to the court showed the phone belonging to Bohling, who was fired from her job with the poultry company in January 2019, was on the property on three occasions when heaters and fans in barns were tampered with – twice in February 2019 and once in March 2019. The GPS data also connected Bohling’s phone to a wooded area near the Tecumseh barn on the night of the fire, but it did not directly connect her to the property where the barn was located.
Damages from the incident were valued at nearly $1 million. The barn that was destroyed was valued at $320,000. There were also an estimated 22,000 chickens inside the barn, which was reported to have been owned by Tyson Foods.
The fire occurred not long after Tyson took ownership of the Tecumseh Poultry assets. The company acquired Tecumseh Poultry, also known as MBA Poultry, in June 2018. Included in that acquisition was the air-chilled Smart Chicken Brand, two plants – one located in Tecumseh and the other in Waverly, Nebraska, as well as live operations.
