Former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody has been charged with interfering with the judicial process following a raid of a local newspaper on August 11, 2023. Cody is accused of inducing a witness to withhold information in a felony case. The raid targeted the Marion County Record, as well as the homes of its publisher Eric Meyer and City Council member Ruth Herbel. Meyer’s mother, Joan Meyer, who lived with him, collapsed and died during the raid, with Meyer attributing her death to the stress caused by the incident.
Cody, along with his police force and Marion County sheriff’s deputies, conducted the raid based on suspicions that a reporter for the Record had accessed driver records without authorization. However, it was later revealed that the reporter, Phyllis Zorn, had used a legally available online search engine to find information about a restaurant owner. Despite the lack of evidence, Cody carried out the raid, seizing items from both Eric Meyer and Ruth Herbel.
After an investigation by special prosecutors, it was determined that the newspaper’s staff had not committed any crimes. As a result, several lawsuits have been filed against Cody, the city, and other officials involved in the raid. Cody could not be reached for comment on the charges against him.
Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com
