Marion County Record

Former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody is accused of persuading a potential witness for an investigation into his conduct of withholding information from authorities.

Two special prosecutors said that they plan to file a criminal obstruction of justice charge against a former Marion police chief over his conduct following a raid last year on his town's newspaper and that the newspaper's staff committed no crimes.

A lawsuit from former council member Ruth Herbel alleges that the August 2023 raids on her home and the Marion County Record were acts of retaliation by the mayor, police chief and sheriff — and accused officials of "judge-shopping" for warrants.

The Marion County Record and its publisher filed a federal lawsuit Monday, April 1, 2024 over police raids last summer of its offices and the publisher's home and notified local officials that the paper and its publisher believe they are due more than $10 million in damages.

Phyllis Zorn says that the police raid last year caused her physical and mental health problems.

The resolution would direct Attorney General Kris Kobach to provide a report on whether the investigation found that people’s civil rights were violated.

Documents show that multiple Kansas officials offered unquestioning support of the Marion County Police before their unlawful raid of a newspaper, and then attempted to sidestep the international outrage that followed.

Gideon Cody's resignation comes days after Cody was suspended for reasons that were not made public, and weeks after a prosecutor said that there wasn't sufficient evidence to justify the search.

Marion Mayor Dave Mayfield on Saturday confirmed to The Associated Press that he suspended Chief Gideon Cody following a raid last month on the Marion County Record that was criticized as an attack on free speech.

The lawsuit argues that Chief Gideon Cody violated Deb Gruver's constitutional rights when he abruptly snatched her personal cellphone out of her hands during an Aug. 11 search of the Marion County Record.