KCUR | By Zane Irwin
Published September 5, 2025 at 1:24 PM CDT
Nearly four years after a New York Times reporter found a tracking device on his car in Lawrence, Kansas, authorities have yet to tell him what happened.
The New York Times is suing the Federal Bureau of Investigation for allegedly withholding information about a tracking device that a reporter found on his car in Lawrence in October of 2021.
The legal complaint filed in August involves Kevin Draper, an agricultural reporter for the Times who covered sports business at the time of the incident.
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Draper discovered the tracking device on his family’s car.
“He was subsequently told by law enforcement that the device was likely planted by parties concerned about reporting that he was doing,” the complaint reads.
It’s unclear what Draper was covering in Kansas at the time. None of the reporter’s articles from 2021 or 2022 mention Lawrence.
The FBI launched an investigation, which it then passed on to the local field office in Kansas City, Missouri, as well as to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.
But in June 2024, authorities told Draper the case was closed. According to the lawsuit by the Times, the FBI has failed to respond to multiple public records requests by Draper to learn more about what happened.
The FBI and a lawyer for the Times and declined to comment. The legal complaint seeks an order from a federal court judge compelling the FBI to grant the information within 20 days.
Zane Irwin reports on politics, campaigns and elections for the Kansas News Service. You can email him at [email protected].
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