Quote:Police face criticism over central Kansas newspaper raid in which computers, phones seized
ByJOHN HANNA and MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press
August 13, 2023, 3:02 PM
. . . The Marion County Record said in its own published reports that police raided the newspaper’s office on Friday, seizing the newspaper’s computers, phones and file server and the personal cellphones of staff, based on a search warrant.
. . . Police simultaneously raided the home of Eric Meyer, the newspaper’s publisher and co-owner, seizing computers, his cellphone and the home’s internet router, Meyer said. Meyer's 98-year-old mother — Record co-owner Joan Meyer, who lived in the home with her son — collapsed and died Saturday, Meyer said, blaming her death on the stress of the raid of her home.
Meyer said he believes the raid was prompted by a story published last week about a local restaurant owner, Kari Newell. Newell had police remove Meyer and a newspaper reporter from her restaurant early this month, who were there to cover a public reception for U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, a Republican representing the area.
. . . The next week at a city council meeting, Newell publicly accused the newspaper of using illegal means to get information on the status of her driver's license following a 2008 drunken driving conviction and other driving violations. The newspaper countered that it received that information unsolicited, which it verified through public online records. It eventually decided not to run a story, because it wasn’t sure the source who supplied it had obtained it legally. But the newspaper did run a story on the city council meeting, in which Newell herself confirmed she'd had a DUI conviction and that she had continued to drive even after her license was suspended.
. . . A two-page search warrant, signed by a local judge, lists Newell as the victim of alleged crimes by the newspaper. When the newspaper asked for a copy of the probable cause affidavit required by law to issue a search warrant, the district court issued a signed statement saying no such affidavit was on file, the Record reported.
Newell declined to comment Sunday, saying she was too busy to speak. She said she would call back later Sunday to answer questions.
Cody, the police chief, defended the raid on Sunday, saying in an email to The Associated Press that while federal law usually requires a subpoena — not just a search warrant — to raid a newsroom, there is an exception “when there is reason to believe the journalist is taking part in the underlying wrongdoing.”
abcnews.go.com
So, they have a loophole, sort of. Seems like this Newell person was connected and had influence over the court and police concerning this complaint she made. It sounds like something that could happen in my corrupt county court system.
Righteous citizens usually get the boot from these city council meetings for bringing up issues not on the docket, yet his person gets the police to raid this hometown newspaper causing a death. Corruption, pure and simple, IMO.
Here is a link to the Newspaper so you can take a look at it before it gets shut down . . .
marionrecord.com
A trail goes two ways and looks different in each direction - There is no such thing as a timid woodland creature - Whatever does not kill you leaves you a survivor - Jesus is NOT a bad word - MSB