The police chief who led a highly criticized raid of a small Kansas newspaper has been suspended.

Marion Mayor Dave Mayfield suspended Chief Gideon Cody on Thursday, he said in a text sent Saturday to The Associated Press. He declined to discuss his decision further and did not say whether Cody is still being paid.

Voice messages and emails seeking comment from Cody’s lawyers were not immediately returned Saturday.

The Aug. 11 searches of the Marion County Record’s office and the homes of its publisher and a City Council member have been sharply criticized, putting Marion at the center of a debate over the press protections offered by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.