New Details Behind ‘Illegal’ Police Raid of Local Kansas Newspaper
New records have emerged on the unexpected police raid of the nearby Kansas paper that the co-owner says induced the lack of lifestyles of his publishing associate, revealing as part of the police’s reasoning behind executing the quest & seizure.
Police last week orchestrated a complete-fledged raid at the workplace of the Marion County Record, in addition to the house of the newspaper co-proprietor, who died most effectively an afternoon after the raid. The raid befell as its journalists have been investigating misconduct allegations surrounding a nearby organization owner and Marion’s police leader. The Marion County Record is a circle of relatives-owned weekly newspaper that was first published in 1869. Its insurance makes a specialty of the critical Kansas county of much less than 12,000 people.
The city’s police chief imagined to a Kansas that the reporter accessed the enterprise owner’s using document by way of “either impersonating the sufferer or mendacity approximately the motives why the file turn out to be being sought,” in keeping with court statistics acquired via The Washington Post.
Cody additionally said the Kansas Department of Revenue had shown that Record reporter Phyllis Zorn downloaded the personal record. This is the primary time a file has been located out that brought about the police department’s justification for the raid.
Zorn stated she, indeed, downloaded the document of Kari Newell, the owner of Chef’s Plate at Parlour 1886. Zorn stated downloading a document actually includes moving into a call, date of begin, and driver’s license extensive variety.
Zorn said she acquired a tip from a source and retrieved the information so she can also needed to confirm the quit.
Marion County Record author Eric Meyer stated he doesn’t think his reporter committed a crime. He said that considering the reality that his reporter modified into mission research, there has been no malicious act.
“There isn’t any criminal cause,” Meyer said.
Meyer noted his paper can also need to have likely overstepped a boundary by looking the database, but brought “notwithstanding the truth that it changed into unlawful for us to do that, the police response was like bringing the SWAT crew out for jaywalking.”
Newell stood in advance than the Marion City Council on Aug. 7 for a schedule item regarding her getting a liquor/catering license for her restaurant. Newell formerly had a DUI, which could potentially revoke any liquor license.
Newell didn’t use any of her time to talk approximately the license acquisition, however as an opportunity went instantly to accusing the newspaper and Councilwoman Ruth Herbel of obtaining her non-public information and sharing it with others.
The Marion police obtained are searching for warrants and raided the newspaper and the newspaper workplace, the houses of the councilwoman, a reporter and the house of newspaper co-proprietor Joan Meyer on Aug. Eleven, seizing computer systems, telephones and other digital devices.
Joan Meyer, ninety-eight, died the following day.
The raid won national interest as a violation of the First Amendment.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) took over the research and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly questioned the legitimacy of the raid.
Last Wednesday, Marion County Attorney Joel Ensey stated that “inadequate proof” was used to connect the alleged crimes. Ensey asked the police to move lower back all seized belongings from the newspaper. The KBI said it might preserve the research into whether the Record violated any country law.