Former Kansas police chief to face charge in newspaper raid

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett and Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson, two special prosecutors, have issued a final report on the raid on the Marion County Record and plan to file charges against the former police chief.

Officers raided the newspaper’s offices and the home of the publisher, Eric Meyer, on Aug. 11, 2023. They seized equipment and personal cell phones . Gideon Cody, who was police chief then, said he was investigating whether the newspaper committed identity theft or other crimes in accessing a local restaurant owner’s state driving record.

The 124-page report details the events before, during, and after the raid of the paper and Meyer’s home. In conclusion, the report says one criminal case will be filed against former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody later this week for alleged violation of the judicial process. Sentencing for a violation ranges between seven and 23 months in prison or probation.

Prosecutors concluded that they have probable cause to believe that Cody obstructed an official judicial process by withholding two pages of a written statement from a local business owner from investigators in September 2023, about six weeks after the raid.

The prosecutors who reviewed the case found no evidence of criminal intent among all others involved, including the journalists of the Marion County Record and several other Marion County law enforcement officers. However, the report suggested police conducted a poor investigation to “reach erroneous conclusions.”

Since then, several lawsuits have been filed against Cody, the City of Marion, the former mayor, and other government officials.

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