COVID facts whistleblower Rebekah Jones turns herself in following Florida legislation enforcement problems warrant
Previous state COVID-19 details scientist Rebekah Jones turned herself in to the Leon County Jail soon after law enforcement officers issued a warrant for her arrest on allegations that she illegally accessed a Florida Section of Well being personal computer system.
Court docket documents display that Jones, who was fired by the Division of Health and fitness past year, was launched from jail Monday morning immediately after posting a bail bond, which was established at $2,500. She turned herself in Sunday.





The Florida Section of Law Enforcement obtained the arrest warrant for Jones, who was fired from the health and fitness office position in May perhaps and has garnered countrywide notice right after alleging that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration was manipulating information about COVID-19 conditions and deaths. The spotlight on Jones was heightened immediately after she posted a online video of armed agents executing a search warrant at her property on Dec. 7.



The arrest warrant alleged that Jones, who lately moved to the Washington, D.C. region, “was dependable for unauthorized accessibility and various unauthorized obtain tries to FDOH methods.”



State law enforcement seized Jones’ computer systems, cell telephones and other tools immediately after executing the look for warrant at her Tallahassee dwelling, where she lived with her husband and youngsters.



The FDLE attained the lookup warrant just after an investigation allegedly linked her tackle to a Nov. 10 concept sent on an inner Department of Wellness multi-person messaging account.



“It’s time to discuss up prior to a further 17,000 folks are useless. You know this is incorrect. You really do not have to be component of this. Be a hero. Discuss out before it is too late,” the information from an unknown sender explained. 



Jones has regularly denied sending the information. Her lawyers have also claimed the consumer identify and password for the messaging system was publicly available.



The arrest warrant also accused Jones of downloading a file that contains call data of about 19,182 folks across the point out.
“This file contained personalized details to include initially and final identify, corporations, titles, counties positioned, particular e mail addresses and phone numbers,” FDLE unique agent Noel Pratts wrote in the arrest warrant.
The law enforcement agency requested that Jones be banned from personal computer access, net access and “contact with the witnesses or all those persons whose private information was acquired by way of the obtain.”



But Leon County Circuit Choose John Cooper denied the state’s ask for for a blanket personal computer ban for the duration of an physical appearance Monday early morning, according to Stephen Dobson, a Tallahassee prison defense legal professional who signifies Jones. Dobson advised the Information Company of Florida that Cooper also rejected the state’s ask for for GPS checking of Jones, but the choose sided with the condition and prohibited Jones from accessing the condition Department of Wellness web page.



Jones submitted a civil lawsuit against FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen, Pratts and an agent recognized as “John Doe” past thirty day period and filed a movement searching for to pressure regulation enforcement officials to return her machines.



But all through a hearing on the movement Wednesday, Cooper claimed he couldn’t come to a decision regardless of whether Jones need to get her personal computers and other products again right up until he discovered no matter whether prosecutors and FDLE supposed to file legal charges versus her.



The arrest warrant was issued the day immediately after the listening to.



Jones, who established up a competing COVID-19 details “dashboard” soon after she was fired from the overall health division, tweeted on Sunday that she was turning herself in to law enforcement. 



“To defend my loved ones from ongoing police violence, and to demonstrate that I’m prepared to struggle no matter what they toss at me, I’m turning myself in to law enforcement in Florida Sunday evening. The governor will not acquire his war on science and free speech. He will not silence individuals who talk out,” Jones tweeted.



In a series of tweets, she stated that the arrest warrant was not linked to last month’s “raid.”



“They did not come across evidence of nearly anything similar to the warrant, so they invented anything new to come after me for in retaliation,” she tweeted. 



Around midday Sunday, Jones tweeted: “Censored by the condition of Florida right up until even further detect. #LetHerSpeak.” 



Dobson reported Cooper has permitted Jones to return to her dwelling in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and that she strategies on heading back as quickly as possible.



Jones’ lawyers requested the FDLE if she could transform herself in later in the 7 days, because she was unwell.



But the company threatened to arrest her in Maryland if she did not change herself in by Monday night, Dobson explained. Jones tested favourable for COVID-19 before getting introduced from jail, he mentioned.



The state’s actions relating to Jones have been “overreach, absolutely,” Dobson said in a mobile phone job interview Monday afternoon.



“There seriously are critical crimes out there they could be investigating. I imagine we have seen that in the past number of weeks. But they look to be paying an remarkable amount of money of time, energy and resources on Rebekah Jones,” he reported. “It is seriously really amazing.”



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