KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Gideon Cody, the former police chief of Marion, Kansas, has been formally charged with interference with the judicial process in connection to an investigation into his police department’s August 2023 raid of the Marion Record newspaper.
The charge was filed Monday by Barry R. Wilkerson, who was appointed a special prosecutor for Marion County. The case will be heard before 8th Judicial District Court Judge Ryan Rosauer.
The charges come after special prosecutors who were investigating the circumstances surrounding the August 2023 raid of the Marion Record newspaper and the homes of its publishers released their report earlier this month.
LINK | Read the special prosecutor's report
The report recommended charges of obstruction of justice against Cody. The report did not recommend charges against anyone else who was involved in the raid or the fallout.
LINK | KSHB 41 coverage of the Marion Record newspaper raid
Kansas court records do not yet indicate when Cody will appear in court on the charges.
The charge is a severity level 8 nonperson felony.
While last week's report doesn't specify how Cody committed the crime of obstruction, the charge is listed under the subhead, Did Chief Cody Commit Any Crime With Regard to His Interaction With Kari Newell, After The Execution Of The Warrants On August 11, 2023?
The charge references Cody's text messages but gives no other details.
"The legal analysis of this issue is not included in the public release of this report. The findings will be incorporated into charges which will be sought in Marion, County District Court. The proposed charging document will allege that Gideon Cody committed the crime of Obstruction of Judicial Process, in violation of K.S.S. 21-5905 (a)(5)(A)."
This is a developing story and may be updated. KSHB 41 I-Team's Jessica McMaster contributed reporting for this story.
—
