James Madison University's Paper To Receive $10,000 From VA Over Stolen Photos

James Madison University's Paper To Receive $10,000 From VA Over Stolen Photos

The student newspaper at James Madison University will be reimbursed $10,000 in legal fees from the state of Virginia after police raided their newsroom and seized 962 photos.

The incident stemmed from an on-campus riot in April. Police claimed the paper, the Breeze, had the only photographic evidence of the event and they needed the proof to isolate the identities of those involved in the riot. When the Breeze refused to hand over the photos, police obtained a search warrant and raided the paper's newsroom.

Almost two months later, Commonwealth Attorney Marsha Garst has apologized for the "fear and concern" she caused the paper. According to the Breeze, the paper allowed authorities to retain 20 photos; the rest have been returned.

In a statement, Garst also pledged to use subpoenas, rather than search warrants, when dealing with news outlets.

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