[Lancaster Patriot] Three Pennsylvania State Troopers and seven other individuals spent several hours inside a building on Amos Miller’s Lancaster County farm while conducting a search on Jan. 4, 2024, eventually leaving with multiple coolers containing Miller’s property.Attempts were made by The Lancaster Patriot to enter the facility during the search, but a Pennsylvania State Trooper said, "we’re conducting a search warrant inside this building right now," and told the reporter to leave the building until the search was completed.
The search was conducted by employees of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, with Pennsylvania State Police offering assistance as needed.
A search warrant was issued on Jan. 3, 2024, by Magisterial District Judge B. Denise Commins and included an affidavit of probable cause completed by Sheri Morris, Acting Bureau Director of Food Safety with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
The affidavit referenced incidents involving Miller’s products dating back to 2016, with the latest including the claim that on Dec. 19, 2023, Morris was informed "by the NY state Department of Health of a confirmed positive case of a foodborne pathogen (STEC — Shiga toxin producing E. Coli) in an underage individual" who had allegedly consumed products from Miller’s private buying club. On Dec. 28, 2023, Morris was allegedly notified about a similar incident in Michigan.
In the affidavit, Morris contends that Miller has not filed for applications from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture "for registration, licensing, or permitting under the pertinent Retail Food Facility Safety Act, Food Safety Act, or Milk Sanitation Laws."
A report of seized property provided to Miller after the search was conducted listed 37 items, including sour cream, chocolate milk, ice cream, and eggnog.
A notice affixed to a walk-in cooler door stated that the food in the cooler "has been detained by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture pursuant to Section 5726(a) of the Food Safety Act." The notice states that the food "may be adulterated or misbranded and shall be detained." The notice states that it is "unlawful to remove the food from the premises or to dispose of it without approval of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture."
Removal or disposal of "a detained or embargoed food article" is a criminal and civil offense.
The cooler contains hundreds of items and represents a large portion of Miller’s products.