Cutting corners should never come at the cost of public health, yet one Louisiana restaurant seems to have missed that memo.
Authorities made a shocking discovery of a roadkill deer stashed away in the freezer of a Chinese restaurant known as China Queen. This isn’t the first time the establishment has breached health regulations, according to various reports.
The unsettling find came to light after a Facebook user alleged that employees were skinning a dead animal behind the restaurant. The post, which has since been removed, was made on Wednesday, April 22, and quickly caught the attention of local media outlet KALB 5.
Responding to the social media uproar, local police visited China Queen. A witness presented officers with a photograph showing a male restaurant employee with bloodied hands, the Pineville Police Department revealed in a statement to The Post.
Upon further investigation, officers discovered the deer carcass stored in the freezer alongside other food items. The employee confessed to finding the deer by the roadside around 10:00 a.m. and admitted to planning to use it for soup.
The worker told police he found the deer carcass on the side of the road around 10:00 a.m. and intended to turn it into soup.
“Officers on scene were unable to determine whether the meat was intended for personal consumption or for service to restaurant patrons,” officials told the outlet.
The incident has spurred investigations from both the Louisiana Department of Health and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
“While the consumption of deer is common in Louisiana, state law prohibits the possession of roadkill without prior authorization from law enforcement. Additionally, improper handling and storage of wild game can pose serious public health risks due to rapid bacterial growth,” a Pinveville Police Department spokesperson said.
The restaurant later posted a notice on its front door apologizing for the incident and claiming that they never intended to serve the roadkill to customers, according to a photo obtained by KALB.
“We apologize for the recent incident. The item involved was never intended to be served to customers, but it was improperly stored,” the letter stated.
The notice went on to state that the restaurant was cooperating with health authorities and changed their procedures so the incident doesn’t happen again.
Louisiana law prohibits harvesting roadkill without permission from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
“Illegal possession of a deer, which would be possession of roadkill, essentially, is a class four violation in Louisiana,” Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries official Bradley Breland told KALB.
China Queen could end up with up to a $950 fine and potentially 120 days in jail, depending on the severity of the violation, he said.
This is not the first time the restaurant has found itself in hot water with health officials.
It was reportedly found to have several “critical” violations on its April 1 health inspection — including storing chemicals above food.
All of the violations were corrected by the health department’s follow-up visit on April 8.
