Items returned in police raid on US newspaper to be sent for forensic analysis, says publisher

TORONTO

Items that were seized have been returned and are set to be assessed by a forensic analyst amid days of nationwide controversy regarding the raid on a newspaper's office and the publisher's residence, according to the co-owner and publisher of the Kansas paper.

The Marion County prosecutor said he asked for the items to be returned because he found insufficient evidence regarding the alleged crime of “unlawful acts concerning computers" and items seized, CNN reported.

The confiscated items will be returned, aligning with calls from press freedom advocates who strongly criticized police intervention.

Publisher Eric Meyer said he believes the raid in Marion, 60 miles north of Wichita, was triggered by a story Wednesday concerning business owner Kari Newell.

Authorities, however, said their investigation was focused on what they referred to as "identity theft," as indicated in the search warrant.

Among the materials seized by police were cell phones and computers, Meyer told CNN.

A reporter with the newspaper confirmed to Meyer that the seized material would be returned and checked by a forensic analyst to ensure nothing was done to them, Meyer told CNN's program, The Lead.

Joan Meyer, co-owner of the Marion County Record and mother of Eric Meyer, died Saturday, one day after the raid at their shared residence.

Eric Meyer believes the stress caused by the raid played a role in his mother's death and said she would "feel good about the public support."