The former Kansas police chief who led raids on a Marion County newspaper, journalists, and its 98-year-old co-owner will face criminal charges after an independent investigation found evidence he interfered with the legal process. Joan Meyer, the 98-year-old co-owner of the Marion County Record, died the day after police knocked on her door with an improperly obtained search warrant. She had appeared on home security video demanding officers “get out.” Prosecutors later withdrew the warrants, stating then-Police Chief Gideon Cody had not provided sufficient evidence to obtain them properly.
“It’s not surprising that fair-minded law enforcement officials would conclude that journalism is not a crime, but destroying evidence is,” Bernie Rhodes, an attorney for the newspaper, told Fox News Digital Monday. “So I’m pleased that the special prosecutors realized that Gideon Cody is not a fair-minded law enforcement officer, and that he should suffer the consequences for his decisions.”
After an independent investigation, special prosecutors revealed plans to charge Cody, who resigned last year, with interfering in the judicial process, the Kansas City Star reported earlier.
The special prosecutors, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett and Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson, also found that neither the newspaper nor its journalists had committed any crimes before they were raided. The raid likely played a role in Meyer’s death, but the officers who conducted it were not criminally responsible, according to their 124-page report obtained by the Star.
The Record is suing the city and other officials, including Cody, the mayor, and the county sheriff, in connection with the alleged First Amendment violation. Journalists at the paper had looked into allegations against a candy shop owner named Kari Newell, but had not published a story due to a potential conflict of interest in the source who initially provided the information. However, after the raids, the paper revealed that its tipster also alleged that police knew about Newell’s suspended license and let her slide when caught driving anyway.
Before she died, Joan Meyer described the police department’s behavior as “Hitler tactics.” The Marion County Record was founded in 1874 and was owned by the Hoch family for over a century before Meyer and her husband bought it in 1998 to save it from a corporate chain. Bill Meyer, who worked with the paper since 1948, passed away in 2006.
A state panel has cleared the magistrate judge who first signed the warrants in connection with the raids. The Marion County Record continues to seek justice for the wrongful actions taken against them and their co-owner. The legacy of Joan Meyer lives on as her family fights for the freedom of the press and accountability in law enforcement.
