A police chief resigned after raiding a local newspaper in Marion, Kansas, that was investigation him, Mayor Dave Mayfield confirmed Monday.
Police Chief Gideon Cody, who orchestrated the widely criticized raids conducted on The Marion County Record’s office and its publisher’s home back in August, resigned shortly after he was suspended from his post, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The co-owner of the newspaper, 98 year-old Joan Meyer, died one day after the police raid on her home.
The town council unanimously voted for Zach Hudlin, the Marion Police Department’s most senior patrol officer, to act as the police chief at the time being, as per CNN. (RELATED: Police Chief Who Led Controversial Newspaper Raid Suspended)
KSHB 41 I-Team’s Jessica McMaster reports Marion, Kansas, Police Chief Gideon Cody has resigned following turmoil surrounding a raid on a newspaper via@JessMcMasterKC:https://t.co/aJh86pPC06
— KSHB 41 News (@KSHB41) October 2, 2023
The raid was highly criticized and put Marion at the center of debate over the press protections offered by the First Amendment. One of the raids took place at the office of a family-owned newspaper The Marion County Record. Another raid occurred at the home of the Record’s editor and publisher, Eric Meyer.
Meyer revealed that Cody allegedly knew that the newspaper was investigating the anonymous tips they have received regarding Cody’s retirement. The publisher also added that when they reached out to Cody about the allegations, he reportedly threatened them with a lawsuit.
“It’s long overdue. You know, we had to wait more than six weeks to get him suspended,” Meyer said in a statement, according to The AP. “It kind of leads you to believe that there’s some smoking gun somewhere that everybody knows about and we’re going to try to get ahead of it.”