Video above: Police raid the Marion County Record on Aug. 11, 2023 (Courtesy: Eric Myer)
MARION, Kan. (KSNW) — One year after the police raid on the Marion County Record, the former Marion police chief has been formally charged.
Gideon Cody has been charged with one count of interference with the judicial process, inducing a witness to withhold/delay information in a felony case.
On Aug. 11, 2023, officers from the Marion Police Department raided the newspaper’s office and the home of the publisher, Eric Myer, seizing equipment and even personal cell phones. Cody, who was the police chief at the time, claimed that he was investigating whether the newspaper committed identity theft or other crimes in assessing a local restaurant owner’s state driving record.
Earlier this month, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett and Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson issued a 124-page report on the raid. It was concluded they have probable cause to believe that Cody may have withheld two pages of a local business owner’s written statement from September 2023.
Sentencing for violation of the judicial process ranges between seven and 23 months in prison or probation.
There are no scheduled hearings in this case at this time.
Five lawsuits have been filed against Cody, the City of Marion, the former mayor, and other government officials since the raid.