Editor's Note: Well, at least he was honest

By Rachel Mipro, Kansas Reflector

Marion police chief resigns after body cam footage shows him rifling through records about himself

October 9, 2023 (Marion, Kansas) — Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody has resigned, less than two months after he instigated a widely covered raid on a local newspaper that culminated in a federal lawsuit and one woman’s death. 

Reporter injured, newspaper co-owner dies next day

Story and photos by Jonathan Goetz

August 14, 2023 (Marion, Kansas) – Seven police and sheriff's officers in Kansas on Friday raided the Marion County Record newspaper and its publisher’s house, raising concerns over freedom of the press in the United States.

Not only did law enforcement officers search the newspaper’s office, but in seizing the computers, server, cell phone of a reporter, and back-up hard drive, the raid essentially shut down the newspaper. The Marion County Record said Friday this is, "reminiscent of what occurs in totalitarian regimes and the Third World."