Staff writer
Parking on the wrong side of the street alerted Marion police to what may have been an illegal drinking party early in the morning on New Year’s Eve.
Kodi Goodpasture, a 22-year-old Atchison man, was arrested on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and furnishing alcohol to a minor. A girl younger than 18 also was arrested and transported to juvenile intake.
Charges are pending against four people, presumably between ages 18 and 21, who were believed to have been drinking in an illegally parked vehicle in the 200 block of S. Roosevelt St., police chief Tyler Mermis said.
About 3:30 a.m., assistant chief Clinton Jeffrey and officer Mike Stone investigated the vehicle, which Jeffrey said was parked in a no-parking zone near 209 S. Roosevelt St.
“There is no parking there because of the ambulance [route to St. Luke Hospital] so we investigated,” Jeffrey said. “Then we discovered they had been drinking.”
Mermis declined to comment on rumors of police kicking down the door and raiding 209 S. Roosevelt St., noting the entire incident still was under investigation.
Police denied rumors that a raid was executed after Jeffrey and Stone saw juveniles fleeing from the residence, which according to tax records is owned but not occupied by Alan and Jandee Kruse of Marion.
“It is unclear if anyone will be charged in this case,” Mermis said.
Mermis referred reporter inquiries to county attorney Susan Robson, stating that he had given her a report on the incident.
Robson’ was unavailable for comment because of trials she was preparing for.
“Susan said the police chief handed her something earlier today,” office manager Karen Selznick said, “but she hasn’t had time to read it yet and she is not going to have time to read it today.”
Selznick usually enters police reports into a log before Robson does anything with them to ensure that nothing gets lost or passed over.
“It was totally backwards from the way things are normally done,” she said. “It almost never happens that way but it does happen sometimes.”