A third lawsuit has been filed in federal court against officials with the city of Marion and Marion County over last year’s raid on a local newspaper.
The lawsuit was filed by Cheri Bentz, office manager for the Marion County Record newspaper, and it names the City of Marion, former mayor David Mayfield, former police chief Gideon Cody, interim police chief Zach Hudlin, Marion County Sheriff Jeff Soyez and sheriff’s detective Aaron Christner.
Bentz alleges in the lawsuit that the warrants used to raid the newspaper offices in August, 2023 were based on false statements, and officers extended the scope of the warrants. She said she was illegally detained for several hours even though she was told by officers that she was not suspected of wrongdoing.
The raids were condemned by media organizations across the country. The warrants were later withdrawn by the Marion County Attorney, and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation has been looking into the raid. Lawsuits have been filed by former Record reporter Deb Gruver and by current reporter Phyllis Zorn, and more lawsuits are expected.
