A small central Kansas police department is facing a torrent of criticism after it raided the offices of a local newspaper and the home of its publisher and owner.

Several press freedom watchdogs condemned the Marion Police Department’s actions as a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution’s protection for a free press. The Marion County Record’s editor and publisher, Eric Meyer, worked with his staff Sunday to reconstruct stories, ads and other materials for its next edition Wednesday, even as he took time in the afternoon to provide a local funeral home with information about his mother, Joan, the paper’s co-owner.

A search warrant tied Friday morning raids, led by Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody, to a dispute between the newspaper and a local restaurant owner, Kari Newell. She is accusing the newspaper of invading her privacy and illegally accessing information about her and her driving record and suggested that the newspaper targeted her after she threw Meyer and a reporter out of restaurant during a political event.

  • athos77@kbin.social
    15·
    11 months ago

    County Attorney Joel Ensby, whose brother owns the hotel where Newell operates her restaurant, was asked for [the probable cause affidavit] but said he would not release it because it was “not a public document”. Source

    So, if I’m following correctly, the Police Chief left his last job because of multiple sexual assault allegations, which was being looked into by the Record. And the owner of the restaurant (which only opened back in January] was trying to hide her DUI and illegal driving and was being investigated by the Record. And the County Attorney’s brother owns the hotel and probably wants the restaurant to succeed to increase his profits. At this point. I think we’re just missing the motive for the judge to have signed off on the search warrant …