The evidence was all ready for the trial. Four small, gray dead mice and their droppings, bagged and labeled, in the freezer at the Casper-Natrona County Health Department. Health officials were prepared to take a very rare step and close El Jarro Mexican restaurant because of a nagging rodent problem, when the restaurant agreed to voluntarily close for repairs and cleaning.
El Jarro, at 500 W. F Street in Casper, Wyoming will close for at least four days, the restaurant said, and possibly longer, the Health Department said. Inspectors first saw evidence of mice, a "critical" health violation, on a routine check.
Mice can carry salmonella or hantavirus, said Bob Harrington, director of the Natrona-Casper Health Department. Previous customer complaints of a dead mouse and mouse traps in the dining room prompted another inspection and the health department advised the restaurant to hire an exterminator. But over the summer, the problem got out of control.
Soon after a customer saw live mice running through the dining room, and an inspector found droppings and saw a live mouse. The restaurant closed for a day to clean and hired a second pest control company, but the problem continued when an inspector visited after a customer complaint, and had a mouse run right over her shoe.
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