Kansas police and a small newspaper are at the center of a 1st Amendment fight after a newsroom raid

MARION, Kan. — A small newspaper and a police department in Kansas are at the center of a dispute over freedom of speech as the newspaper struggled Monday to publish its next edition after police raided its office and the home of its owner and publisher over the weekend.

“This is the type of stuff that, you know, that Vladimir Putin does, that Third World dictators do,” Meyer said during an interview with The Associated Press in his office.Cody said Sunday that the raid was legal and tied to a criminal investigation. Meyer said one Record reporter hurt her finger when Cody wrested her cellphone out of her hand during the raid of the newspaper. The newspaper’s surveillance video showed officers reading that reporter her rights while Cody watched, though she wasn’t arrested or detained. Newspaper employees were hustled out of the building while the search continued for more than 90 minutes, according to the footage.

Newell said she threw Meyer and the reporter out of the event for Republican U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner at the request of others who are upset with the “toxic” newspaper. On the town’s main street, one storefront included a handmade “Support Marion PD” sign.” A two-page search warrant, signed by a local judge, lists Newell as the victim of alleged crimes by the newspaper. When the newspaper asked for a copy of the probable cause affidavit required by law to issue a search warrant, the district court issued a signed statement saying no such affidavit was on file, the Record reported.

Cody, who was hired in late April as Marion’s police chief after serving 24 years in the Kansas City police, did not give details about what that alleged wrongdoing entailed and did not respond to questions about how police believe Newell was victimized.

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