Court documents released Saturday reveal the alleged reasons behind a police raid of a local Kansas newspaper office Aug. 11.
Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody alleged a reporter at the Marion County Record had either impersonated someone else or lied about her intentions when obtaining the driving record of a local business owner for a story, The Associated Press (AP) reported Sunday, citing previously unreleased court documents. Those allegations spawned a raid that saw police seize computers, personal cellphones and a router from the publication, as well as a search of 98-year-old co-owner Joan Meyer’s home. Meyer died the day following the raid.
The raid, which has sparked a First Amendment “firestorm,” was reportedly initiated after local restaurant owner Kari Newell accused the newspaper of invading her privacy and illegally accessing information about her and her driving record, according to another report from the AP. Newell further alleged the newspaper targeted her after she reportedly tossed Marion County Record co-owner Eric Meyer and a reporter from her establishment during a political event.
“This is a threat to democracy, not just a threat to journalism” Bernie Rhodes, attorney representing the Marion County Record, says in light of a recent police raid at the Kansas-based newspaper. pic.twitter.com/2yETxYGMPm
— AYMAN (@AymanMSNBC) August 20, 2023
Acting on a tip, the Marion County Record checked a public website of the Kansas Department of Revenue regarding the status of Newell’s driver’s license as it related to a 2008 conviction for drunk driving, the AP reported. Cody alleged that by downloading the document, the paper was “either impersonating the victim or lying about the reasons why the record was being sought,” the outlet stated.
Eric Meyer and reporter Phyllis Zorn maintained that no laws had been broken as Zorn had accessed a public website to obtain the information on Newell. County prosecutors seemed to agree, ordering the police to return all items seized from the newspaper Aug. 16 after concluding there wasn’t enough evidence to justify the raid, the AP reported. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, however, is still conducting an investigation into allegations that the newspaper acted illegally, the AP reported in a separate story. (RELATED: Suppress The Press: The Obama Administration’s History Of Targeting The Media)
Eric Meyer revealed his newspaper had been actively investigating allegations against Cody for sexual misconduct prior to the raid. Bernie Rhodes, the newspaper’s attorney, told the AP it would be “a remarkable coincidence” if the newspaper’s investigation into Cody wasn’t connected to his decision to perform the raid.