Database Search That Sparked Raid on Kansas Newspaper was Legal: Officials

The Marion County Record did not break any laws when they obtained the driving records of a local business owner, the agency that maintained the records confirmed on Monday. 

The local Kansas weekly newspaper gained national attention when the local police department raided their offices and seized computer equipment and cell phones on August 11. 

The police claim they raided the office to investigate how the newspaper had obtained information about restaurant owner Kari Newell’s driving record. In the affidavits filed to obtain a warrant, the police said they suspected that the newspaper engaged in identity theft or computer crimes to access the records. 

The state officials who maintain that database now say that the newspaper’s actions were completely within the law, according to a report in the Associated Press.

“That’s legal,” Department of Revenue spokesperson Zack Denney told the Associated Press. 

“The website is public-facing, and anyone can use it.”

The only things required to access Newell’s driving records were her license number and birthdate. The newspaper already had that information because an anonymous source had given them an unsolicited copy of Newell’s license. 

According to Marion County Record editor and publisher Eric Meyer, Phyllis Zorn, the journalist who obtained the driving record, entered the information from Newell’s license and then used her own name, address and phone number to complete the rest of the forms, the Associated Press reports. 

In the weeks since the raid, several components of the police department’s legal justification have faced scrutiny. The warrant they were issued was withdrawn by the Marion County Attorney and the seized items are being investigated by an auditor, to establish if the police copied any of the materials.

Joan Meyer, the 98-year-old woman who co-owned the newspaper with her son Eric, died the day after her home was raided, which her son partially attributes to the stress of the event.