Marion mayor Dave Mayfield confirmed he suspended Police Chief Gideon Cody, who led the controversial raid on a small newspaper in Kansas, the Marion County Record reported Friday.
Cody had been suspended since Thursday, Mayor Mayfield told the AP through text message. He refrained from elaborating on the suspension and did not disclose whether Cody was still receiving his salary.
The searches conducted Aug. 11 at the Marion County Recorder’s office as well as the residences of its publisher and a city council member sparked intense criticism. During the search, Cody alleged reporter Phyllis Zorn illegally obtained driving records belonging to local restaurateur Kari Newell, per CBS News. Newell accused the newspaper of unlawfully accessing her drunk driving-related information and sharing it with Marion councilwoman Ruth Herbel. (RELATED: 98-Year-Old Newspaper Owner Dies After Police Raid Office, Paper Says)
Newly released video shows the 98-year-old mother of the Marion County Record’s publisher confronting police as they searched their home. Joan Meyer died the next day, and her son blames the stress of the raids. #ksleghttps://t.co/hbNY54wZ5T
— John Hanna (@APjdhanna) August 22, 2023
Less than a week after the controversial raid, Marion County Attorney Joel Ensey declared the available evidence was insufficient to warrant the raid.
“Insufficient evidence exists to establish a legally sufficient nexus between this alleged crime and the places searched and the items seized … As a result, I have submitted a proposed order asking the court to release the evidence seized. I have asked local law enforcement to return the material seized to the owners of the property,” Ensey said.
No comments from Cody’s legal representatives have been made know at the time of publication.