A small police department in central Kansas is currently embroiled in a torrent of criticism following its actions in raiding the premises of a local newspaper as well as the residence of its publisher and owner.

This move has been widely condemned by numerous press freedom watchdogs as a direct infringement on the protections for a free press enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

According to accounts from the Marion County Record, the newspaper’s own published reports reveal that the police conducted a raid on the newspaper’s office last Friday.

During this operation, they confiscated the newspaper’s computers, phones, and file server, along with the personal cellphones of the staff members, Marketwatch has reported.

A Record reporter recounted an incident in which Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody forcibly took her cellphone from her hand, resulting in an injury to her finger.

Concurrently, law enforcement also executed a search on the residence of Eric Meyer, the publisher and co-owner of the newspaper.

They seized his computers, cellphone, and the household’s internet router. Eric Meyer disclosed that his 98-year-old mother, Joan Meyer, who co-owned the Record and resided in the same home, tragically collapsed and passed away on Saturday.

He attributes her untimely demise to the overwhelming stress induced by the invasive raid on their home.

In a report published in his newspaper, Meyer asserts his belief that the motivation behind the raid was a recent article that focused on Kari Newell, a local restaurant owner.

Earlier this month, Newell had requested the police to remove Meyer and a newspaper reporter from her establishment.

The journalist duo had been covering a public reception for U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, a Republican representing the region.

Notably, the police chief and other officials attended the event, receiving acknowledgment, and the Marion Police Department even showcased the occasion on its official Facebook page.

Written by staff