Rebekah Jones, a former Florida Department of Health data scientist who says she was unfairly fired last year, was charged with a felony charge against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks and electronic devices, reported the Wall Street Journal on Monday.
Driving the news: Jones surrendered on Sunday night after an arrest warrant was issued. Authorities broke into her home last month, prompting protests online after she tweeted a video of the incident.
- At the time, the Florida Police Department (FDLE) told local media that it opened an investigation on November 10 “after receiving a complaint from the Department of Health about unauthorized access to a Department of Health messaging system that is part of an emergency alert system, to be used only for emergencies. “
Update quickly: Jones was fired last year for refusing to “manipulate data” for the state, according to the Tallahassee diplomat.
- The Florida Department of Health called Jones’ initial data manipulation claims “patently false”.
- A spokesman for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) told the Miami Herald in May 2020 that Jones was removed from office by “a repeated process of insubordination”, which included modifying the department’s COVID-19 panel .
- Jones later created his own coronavirus case tracker as an alternative to the state’s COVID-19 panel.
What are they saying: “The attack was based on a lie. Still, the state issued an arrest warrant – although the ‘crime’ is not related to the warrant, to the scope of the warrant, and they did not wait for a third party to review confidential information on my computers, ” Jones tweeted Saturday.
- “The new allegation was made the day after a judge in Tallahassee told the police that if they are not investigating a crime, they have to return my equipment. They found no evidence of anything related to the warrant, so they invented something new to come. behind me in retaliation, “he added.
- “To protect my family from ongoing police violence and to show that I am ready to fight anything they play against me, I am becoming a police officer in Florida on Sunday night. The governor will not win his war against science and freedom of expression. He will not silence those who speak. “
- After her release, after paying bail on Monday, she told reporters that she had just tested positive for COVID-19 on CNN.
The FDLE did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment, but in a statement to the WSJ, the authorities said: “Evidence recovered from a search warrant on December 7 shows that Jones illegally accessed the system by sending a message to approximately 1,750 people and downloaded FDOH confidential data and saved to your devices. “
For registration: Jones denied sending the message or illegal access to any restricted site, noted the WSJ.
The big picture: DeSantis has faced criticism for his way of dealing with the pandemic.
- An investigation by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, published in early December, reported that “the DeSantis administration has been involved in a pattern of manipulation and deception that has misled the public about the most serious health threat the state has ever faced”.
Go deeper: Florida police raid the home of a scientist who contested the state in COVID-19 data