It's been one year since Marion police, led by then-Police Chief Gideon Cody, raided the town's local newspaper. Now, Cody is facing criminal charges for obstruction of judicial process.
The Record was raided over a tip that police claimed was illegally obtained. A few days after the raid, the warrant was withdrawn due to insufficient evidence.
Two special prosecutors filed a 124-page report analyzing the search warrants for the newspaper raid and the events that followed. Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett and Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson say Cody is the only person charged in connection to the raid on Aug. 11, 2023.
Bernie Rhodes, the Marion County record's attorney who spoke with KCUR's Up To Date, said Cody's charge comes from a conversation Cody had with Kari Newell, the subject of the tip. In the conversation, Cody asked Newell to destroy text messages with him.
"If you piece together the pieces in the report, it's clear that's what they're charging him with: asking a witness to destroy evidence to cover up wrongdoing by Gideon Cody, " Rhodes said.
Cody resigned from his position as police chief in October last year, after body-cam footage surfaced of him looking through files at the Record with his name on them. He also faces a civil suit from the Marion County Record for damages.
- Bernie Rhodes, attorney at law
