County in Kansas agrees to pay $3M, apologize for newspaper raid

[ad_1] NEW Now you can hearken to Fox Information articles!

Officers in Marion County, Kansas, have agreed to pay greater than $3 million and subject a proper apology over a 2023 police raid on a small-town newspaper that ignited nationwide backlash and raised alarms about authorities overreach and press freedom.

The Marion County File was raided after it obtained details about an area restaurant proprietor’s driving report — a narrative the paper finally selected not to publish. Days later, police obtained search warrants accusing the newsroom of identification theft and laptop crimes, seizing computer systems, telephones and reporting supplies from each the paper’s workplace and the house of its writer, Eric Meyer.

Meyer’s 98-year-old mom and co-owner, Joan Meyer, collapsed and died the day after the raid — a loss her son attributed to the stress of the search. The incident drew condemnation from nationwide media organizations and First Amendment advocates who mentioned it mirrored a rising willingness by authorities officers to intimidate journalists.

"They deliberately wished to harass us for reporting the information, and also you’re not supposed to do this in a democracy," Meyer mentioned after the settlement was introduced.

KANSAS POLICE RAID NEWSPAPER'S OFFICE, PUBLISHER'S HOME TO SEIZE RECORDS; REPORTER INJURED

Officers in Marion County, Kansas, agreed to pay greater than $3 million and subject an apology over a regulation enforcement raid on an area weekly newspaper in August 2023. (AP)

Two impartial prosecutors later discovered that no crimes had been dedicated and mentioned the warrants relied on inaccurate data from an "insufficient investigation."

As a part of the settlement, Marion County Sheriff Jeff Soyez issued a written apology acknowledging his workplace’s function within the raid and expressing "honest regrets" to Meyer and others focused.

The raid prompted 5 federal lawsuits in opposition to the county, the town of Marion and native officers. (AP Photograph/John Hanna, File)

Former Police Chief Gideon Cody, who ordered the raid, resigned quickly after and now faces a felony cost of interfering with a judicial course of for allegedly persuading a possible witness to withhold data from investigators. He has pleaded not responsible and is scheduled to face trial in February.

Meyer mentioned he hopes the result will deter future makes an attempt by public officers to retaliate in opposition to journalists.

"The purpose isn’t to get the cash. The cash is symbolic," Meyer mentioned. "The press has mainly been below assault."

FORMER KANSAS REPORTER ACCEPTS $235K SETTLEMENT OVER POLICE RAID OF LOCAL NEWSPAPER

Eric Meyer, the newspaper's writer, mentioned he hoped the judgment was substantial sufficient to discourage future actions in opposition to information organizations. (AP)

The raid and ensuing lawsuit have change into a nationwide case research in press freedom and accountability, underscoring how even small native newsrooms can face authorities stress — and the way pricey such overreach can change into when it violates constitutional rights.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The federal Privateness Safety Act usually prohibits police from looking out newsrooms or seizing supplies from journalists, besides in uncommon circumstances involving alleged prison wrongdoing — a protection that native officers cited on the time.