Marion Police Department raided Marion County Record newsroom and homes of its publisher and a former city council member

On August 11, 2023, Marion, Kansas police under Chief Gideon Cody executed search warrants on the newsroom of the Marion County Record, on the home of publisher Eric Meyer and his 98-year-old mother and co-owner Joan Meyer, and on the home of former city council member Ruth Herbel, seizing computers, cellphones, a storage device and reporting work product [1][2]. Marion County sheriff's deputies joined Marion Police Department officers in executing the warrants [2]. Cody said he was investigating whether the paper had committed identity theft or other computer crimes in checking a local restaurant owner's state driving record after the owner accused the paper of illegally obtaining her driving history [1]. A review by special prosecutors later found that Kansas Department of Revenue driving records were accessible to the public without falsifying identity or intent, and that the conclusion Cody relied on to seek the warrants was mistaken [2]. The Record's publisher and staff said they believed the raid was retaliation for the paper's reporting into Cody's background at his prior law enforcement job [1][2].

Five days later, on August 16, 2023, Marion County Attorney Joel Ensey withdrew the warrants and asked the court to release the seized material, saying in a news release that "insufficient evidence exists to establish a legally sufficient nexus between this alleged crime and the places searched and the items seized" [1]. The raids drew national condemnation from press freedom organizations over the seizure of newsroom equipment, reporters' personal cellphones and unpublished work product [2].

Updates

2023-08-12 — Joan Meyer, 98-year-old co-owner whose home was searched, died the day after the raid [1][3]

Eric Meyer said stress from the search of the home he shared with his mother contributed to her death the day after the raid [1][3].

2023-08-16 — County Attorney Joel Ensey withdrew the search warrants [1]

Ensey's review found no legally sufficient basis connecting the alleged crime to what was searched and seized, and he asked the court to release the material to its owners [1].

2023-10-02 — Police Chief Gideon Cody resigned [4]

Cody resigned after being suspended, following the release of body camera footage showing an officer searching through a reporter's desk drawer during the raid and calling Cody over to see what was found; a city council member confirmed the resignation at a public meeting [4].

2024-08-12 — Special prosecutors charged Cody with felony obstruction of justice [2][3][6]

Prosecutors allege Cody persuaded the restaurant owner whose driving record was at issue to withhold information and delete text messages between them; Cody pleaded not guilty, and his trial has since been postponed [2][3][6].

2025-11-10 — Marion County agreed to pay more than $3 million over the raid [2][3]

The settlement included $300,000 to the Record, $200,000 to Eric Meyer, $250,000 to former reporter Deb Gruver, $600,000 to reporter Phyllis Zorn, $650,000 to former city council member Ruth Herbel, and $1 million to Joan Meyer's estate. As part of the agreement, the Marion County Sheriff's Office apologized to the Meyers and to Herbel and acknowledged it had helped draft and execute the Marion Police Department's search warrants in violation of established law [2][3].

2026-08-11 — The city of Marion agreed to pay $850,000 to end Phyllis Zorn's federal lawsuit [3][5]

The city and Zorn filed a joint dismissal on the raid's third anniversary; some claims against the city and current and former officials remain, with a pretrial hearing set for October 15, 2026 [3][5].