Video Shows Police Raiding Home of 98-Year-Old Kansas Newspaper Co-Owner -- Storyful

Home security footage shows authorities in Marion, Kansas, raiding the home of retired journalist and Marion County Record co-owner Joan Meyer on August 11, as police execute a search warrant that was later rescinded. Meyer died the following day of cardiac arrest. Video released by the Meyer family shows Joan Meyer, 98, confronting police inside her home as she attempts to call her son, Eric Meyer. The Marion County Record, owned by Eric Meyer, said the video starts at around one and a half hours from the time police first entered the home, and said it ends when police allegedly disconnected Meyer’s internet connection. The paper reported that the coroner’s report “lists the anger and anxiety [Joan Meyer] experienced as a contributing cause of her death” on August 12. The Marion Police Department obtained the warrant on August 11 based on accusations of identity theft and improperly accessing Department of Revenue records of local business owner Kari Newell, according to an affidavit obtained by KCUR News. A record of Newell’s DUI (driving under the influence) history was obtained and sent to the Marion County Record by a confidential source, as Newell was seeking a liquor license from the county, local reports said. Reports said the Marion County Record carried out a search of a public records system to verify the information, but ultimately declined to publish the story. The Record also alerted police that documents provided by the source may have been unlawfully obtained, kansas.com reported. Police seized electronics from Meyer’s home, including a cell phone, hard drives, and computers, the Marion County Record reported. Police also raided the offices of the Marion County Record and seized electronics. The paper said that the items were returned on Wednesday, August 16, following a review of the warrant by Marion County attorney Joel Ensey, which deemed the evidence for the warrant insufficient. According to kansas.com, the judge who approved the search warrant, the police chief who requested it, and Ensey all may have conflicts of interest in the case. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation announced it was taking over the criminal investigation into the Record on August 16.