By Ad Astra News
MARION, Kan. — The Marion Police Department is defending their actions in Friday’s raid of the Marion County Record and the home of publisher Eric Meyer during which computer equipment, reporter notes, cell phones and other items were seized along with his personal financial information.
In a statement posted on their social media Saturday, the department acknowledged a federal law regarding searches like this. However it also said an exception applies when journalists are suspected of criminal activity, which the search warrant said had to do with computer crime and identity theft of Kara Newell, a Marion restaurant owner.
The post closed by saying “the victim asks that we do all the law allows to ensure justice is served.”
Some media outlets over the weekend said Newell posted on a Facebook page someone had used a piece of mail addressed to her from the Kansas Department of Revenue which included her driver’s license number and birth date, which were in turn used to find her driving history on the department’s web site.
That record includes a 2008 conviction for driving under the influence, which could impact her ability to obtain a liquor license for a restaurant she owns in Marion. An attempt by Ad Astra News to locate a Facebook page for Kara Newell was unsuccessful.
In another development in this story, Record publisher Eric Meyer’s mother Joan Meyer died on Saturday. She was present when Eric’s home, where she was also living, was raided. He blames her death on the stress of the raid, during which her computer and a router used by an Alexa smart speaker were also seized.
