Kansas Police Raid the Marion County Newspaper Office

On Friday, Kansas police raided the office of the Marion County Record, seizing cellphones, computers, and reporting materials.

The Details: The search reportedly centered on an investigation into Kari Newell, a local restaurateur who had clashed with the newspaper and had allegedly been driving without a license after a DUI 15 years ago. Homes of the publisher and reporters were also raided by five police officers and two sheriff's deputies. Ninety-eight-year-old Joan Meyer, co-owner of the newspaper, collapsed and died the day after the search. Her husband, co-owner Eric Meyer, said the paper was "set up" and given a document about Newell they weren't supposed to have.

Key Quote: “In order to investigate and gather facts, the KBI commonly executes search warrants on police departments, sheriff’s offices, and at city, county and state offices,” the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said. “We have investigated those who work at schools, churches and at all levels of public service. No one is above the law, whether a public official or a representative of the media.”

For Context: The newspaper was also investigating sexual misconduct allegations Gideon Cody, the new Marion police chief who led the raid.  No reports about Newell or Cody were published, but information about the allegations was on the seized computers.

How the Media Covered it: Some left-rated sources noted that while the federal Privacy Protection Act protects journalists from searches, Marion police say it doesn't apply if criminal activity is suspected.