A Kansas state law enforcement agency has taken over an investigation that led to a police raid of a weekly newspaper, following widespread outcry from media advocacy groups and news organizations.
Police last Friday raided the offices of the weekly Marion County Record and the publisher’s home, seizing computers, phones and a file server.
Following widespread condemnation from press freedom groups and news organizations, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, or KBI, took over the case as of Monday morning.
The KBI, is now the “lead law enforcement agency” on the case, according to The Kansas City Star.
“As we transition, we will review prior steps taken and work to determine how best to proceed with the case. Once our thorough investigation concludes, we will forward all investigative facts to the prosecutor for review,” KBI spokesperson Melissa Underwood told the newspaper in a statement.
But the KBI told the Associated Press that it “joined” the investigation and declined to say it was leading the inquiry.
The KBI, which is headquartered in the state capital, Topeka, did not immediately reply to VOA’s email requesting comment.
The raid on the newspaper in a small central Kansas county shocked First Amendment advocates and journalist associations. In a statement this week, the Society of Professional Journalists condemned what it called “an egregious attack on freedom of the press, the First Amendment and all the liberties we hold dear as journalists.”
In a Monday night statement, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly expressed support for further investigation into the raid.
“I want to make sure that in the state of Kansas, that we are not violating either individuals’ or press’s constitutional right to free speech,” Kelly said. “We look forward to getting all of the facts out so we know what kind of issue we have.”
The Marion County Record, in covering the raid on its own office and publisher, has said it believes the raids were linked to a dispute between the newspaper and Kari Newell, a local restaurant owner.
Newell accused the newspaper of invading her privacy and illegally accessing information about her, including a 2008 drunken driving conviction against her, the Associated Press reported. She also suggested the newspaper targeted her after she threw Eric Meyer, the newspaper’s co-owner and publisher, and a reporter out of a restaurant during a political event.
Meyer has said in interviews that he thinks the paper’s coverage of local politics played a role in prompting the raids.
Meyer said the Marion County Record was also investigating Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody’s past work with the Kansas City, Missouri, police. Cody led last Friday’s raids.
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