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After the controversial police raid in Marion County Record on August 11 which was rooted in an identity theft case filed by a local business owner, seized items including computers, cellphones, and other reporting materials were retrieved and are now on their way to forensic analysis.
Marion County Record Raided By Police in Kansas; Seized Items Returned. (Photo: JCPost)
The Story Behind Marion County Record’s Raid
The Marion County Record, a local Kansas newspaper principally owned by publisher Eric Meyer sparked days of controversy when Kari Newell, a coffee shop owner allegedly accused Marion County Record of identity theft due to publishing an article about her previous case of drunken driving. A report from CNN stated that Meyer and his reporter were supposedly up for a public meeting with a Republican in Nawell’s shop earlier this month, but they were asked to leave by Nawell. Newell claimed that Marion County Record obtained and spread her information in an illicit manner, but Marion County Record refuted the allegations.
Meanwhile, Yahoo News reported that several press freedom advocates were outraged by the Marion County Record’s unannounced raid. According to them, the search in Marion County Record was intrusive and a violation of first amendment rights. The White House was made aware of the case and expressed concern about the raid in Marion County Record.
READ ALSO: Kansas Newspaper’s Lawyer Requests Police to Wait for Hearing Before Reviewing Seized Data
The Aftermath of Marion County Record’s Raid
A day after the raid in Marion County Record, Meyer’s mother had fallen deep in slumber, claims said that the stress she got from the police raid contributed to her death. With a lack of sufficient evidence, the seized items from the Marion County Record will be returned to Kansas City for forensic analysis. The Marion County Record’s search would have been approached in a peaceful attempt through subpoena, the executive director of the Kansas Press Association proposed.
READ ALSO: Kansas Newsroom Raid Deemed Unconstitutional by Several Press Freedom Advocates
