A former police chief in Kansas has been formally charged with one count of interfering with the judicial process following actions he took after a raid on a small newspaper last year. The criminal complaint, filed in Marion County District Court, accuses the ex-police chief of inducing a witness to withhold information in a felony case.
The incident in question occurred when the former police chief ordered a raid on the Marion County Record, the home of its publisher, and the home of a local city councilwoman on August 11, 2023. The raid sparked criticism from numerous news organizations and press freedom advocates due to its intrusiveness and concerns regarding First Amendment rights.
Following the raid, the ex-police chief resigned from the Marion Police Department. Last week, prosecutors filed a report stating that there was probable cause to believe that the former police chief had committed obstruction of justice by inducing a witness to withhold or delay the production of testimony or information.
The charge is said to be related to text exchanges between the ex-police chief and a local restaurant owner after the raid. The criminal complaint focuses on an alleged cover-up involving efforts to delete text messages exchanged post-raid.
While the criminal complaint does not address the raid itself, the newspaper publisher emphasized that the resolution of the case is likely to come through civil suits filed in federal court. The publisher expressed the importance of a verdict rather than a settlement in resolving the matter.
During the initial investigation, the Marion County Sheriff’s office had cited concerns of identity theft and unlawful acts concerning computers, alleging that a reporter had unlawfully obtained driving records before publishing a story.
