Shocking update in case of 98-year-old newspaper owner who was raided by cops in First Amendment fight

Special prosecutors investigating past year's rule enforcement ambush connected a Kansas newspaper office, its owners' location and nan location of erstwhile metropolis charismatic person announced a bombshell update.

Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett and Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson announced successful a 124-page study connected Monday that erstwhile Police Chief Gideon Cody will beryllium charged pinch interfering pinch nan judicial process, the Kansas City Star reports.

The complaint - which will beryllium revenge successful Marion County District Court successful nan coming days - appears to beryllium centered connected matter messages betwixt Cody and local business proprietor Kari Newell in nan days pursuing nan August 11, 2023 raid

But nan lengthy study does not responsibility officers for nan decease of Marion County Record proprietor Joan Meyer, 98, who died 1 time aft her location was raided successful nan investigation.

It besides clears a Marion County Record newsman and everyone other who looked into Newell's driving grounds of wrongdoing - arsenic nan accusation that she received a DUI and had her licence suspended was disposable connected a nationalist website.

'It's not astonishing that fair-minded rule enforcement officials would reason that publicity is not a crime, but destroying grounds is,' Bernie Rhodes, an lawyer for nan organization newspaper told Fox News aft nan study was released.

'So I'm pleased that nan typical charismatic realized that Gideon Cody is not a fair-minded rule enforcement serviceman and that he should suffer nan consequences for his decisions.'

Former Marion Vice Mayor Ruth Herbel - who has since revenge a suit against respective section officials, including Cody, for nan ambush connected her location - said she was besides gladsome to beryllium cleared of immoderate wrongdoing.

But, she said she was disappointed Cody is nan only 1 facing a criminal charge.

'I'm sad that much group - much players person not been charged because it went past Cody,' she told nan Kansas City Star.

'There were a batch much group progressive in  this full process, and it's caused a batch of harm to Marion and to nan group who were involved.' 

The raids connected August 11, 2023 came conscionable days aft Newell, a erstwhile java shop owner, accused Marion County Record newsman Phyllis Zorn illegally accessed her backstage accusation to corroborate a extremity that she had been convicted of a DUI 15 years before.

Police serviceman Zach Hudlin past called nan Kansas Department of Revenue  astir their system, and a typical told him nan agency was 'trying to fix' an rumor because 'anybody tin pull' up information, according to nan typical prosecutors' report.

He past 'reached nan erroneous conclusion' that Zorn falsified her personality to entree Newell's driving record, it says.

It is unclear whether Hudlin reached nan conclusion because of confirmation bias, a rushed investigation aliases a misunderstanding of what nan typical was saying, nan study notes.

The study besides says that cipher from nan Marion County Police Department interviewed Zorn astir really she sewage nan information. 

Still, then-Police Chief Cody penned tribunal documents saying he had probable origin to judge nan newspaper and Herbel violated authorities laws against personality theft aliases machine crimes. 

Officers past raided nan Marion County Record offices, arsenic good arsenic nan homes of Herbel and newspaper co-owners Joan and Eric Meyer.

Video of nan constabulary ambush connected Joan Meyer’s location would later spell viral, showing her yelling astatine nan officers to 'get out' conscionable 1 time earlier she would die.

'Don't you touch immoderate of that stuff,' nan Marion County Record co-owner told cops successful nan footage arsenic she moved astir her location pinch a walker. 'This is my house. You assh**e!'  

Announcing Joan's decease nan pursuing day, nan newspaper's website read: 'She had not been capable to eat aft constabulary showed up astatine nan doorway of her home. Neither was she capable to slumber Friday night. 

'She tearfully watched during nan ambush arsenic constabulary not only carter distant her computer...but besides dug done her boy Eric's individual slope and finance statements.'

The female had been 'in bully health' for her age, but died complete nan weekend, Eric said.

He has said that erstwhile he woke his mother to connection her meal nan adjacent time she died mid-sentence.

Eric now blames her decease connected nan condolences and accent from nan raid, and a coroner's study states that Joan died of abrupt cardiac arrest.

'I americium perturbed — I cautiously chose that connection — arsenic each get retired astir them raiding our office, but what bothers maine astir is simply a 98-year-old female spent her past time connected world emotion nether onslaught by bullies who invaded her house,' he said.

The typical prosecutor's study besides noted that Joan whitethorn not person died if nan raids had not been carried retired - but concluded that officers were not criminally responsible for her death.

In nan aftermath, nan Marion County Record alleged nan constabulary section was trying  to retaliate against its investigation into Cody's history.

He had left nan Kansas City Police Department while nether soul reappraisal for allegedly making sexist comments to a female officer.

Eric said his newspaper was contacted by Cody's erstwhile colleagues astir nan claims but that nan six-plus anonymous sources yet ne'er went connected nan grounds - and reporters could not get Cody's unit file.

He said nan personality of nan sources was connected nan machine servers, which Cody's squad seized. 

During nan ambush connected nan newspaper office, Cody moreover looked done a reporter's table and asked: 'What's successful this? Hmm, a record connected me? Keep a individual record connected me, I don't care,' according to nan Kansas City Star.

But nan record was not removed from nan newsroom during nan ambush - and nan typical prosecutors person concluded location was nary grounds to propose Cody conducted nan ambush retired of retaliation.

'If Chief Cody harbored ill-motived toward nan Marion County Record, he managed to support them hidden successful individual connection wit different officers, some verbal and electronic,' nan study said.

It goes connected to statement that 'it is not a crime nether Kansas rule for a rule enforcement serviceman to behaviour a mediocre investigation.' 

But arsenic news of nan raids dispersed nationally - and moreover internationally - sparkling a antagonistic ray connected nan Marion County Police Department, Cody tried to take sides his actions.

He told Marion County Attorney Joel Ensey that nan Kansas Bureau of Investigation was '100 percent down me.'

A KBI investigator, however, said Cody 'had to unrecorded successful imagination onshore to get that picture' and went connected to picture nan serviceman arsenic 'a rabid squirrel successful a cage,' according to nan Star.

In fact, nan Kansas Bureau of Investigations recovered that location was not capable evidence to person launched nan tirade against nan section insubstantial -  and revoked nan constabulary department's warrant. 

Still, Cody persisted, preparing charging affidavits connected Eric Meyer, Zorn and Herbel - accusing them of violating national law, moreover though authorities prosecutors would not person a domiciled successful specified cases.

Those charges were ne'er filed.

He past allegedly instructed Newell to delete matter messages.

Amid nan investigation into nan raids, Cody was placed connected administrative time off and resigned from his position connected Oct. 2.

He has since been replaced by Hudlin.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation past took complete nan lawsuit successful mid-November and handed complete its investigation to nan typical prosecutors.

They concluded successful their study that location was 'no grounds that Marion rule enforcement agents recognized nan inadequacy of nan investigation aliases intentionally aliases knowingly misled either different rule enforcement agents of nan court.'

They besides said nan warrant for nan newspaper was 'insufficient to flooded further protections afforded to nan property by kindness of nan Kansas Shield Law,' which grants protections to journalists.

It besides says that hunt warrants connected newsrooms 'should beryllium sought only successful bonzer circumstances and pinch utmost caution.' 

Meanwhile, nan newspaper is suing  metropolis and different officials - including Cody, nan Marion politician and region sheriff - alleging that nan ambush violated their First Amendment correct to property protection and their Fourth Amendment correct to unlawful hunt and seizure.

They are seeking much than $10million successful damages. 

'This is nan type of worldly that, you know, Vladimir Putin does, that Third World dictators do,' Meyer antecedently told nan AP.

'This is Gestapo strategies from World War II.'