Florida police raid dwelling of Rebekah Jones, fired covid details scientist

Legislation enforcement allege that the scientist, Rebekah Jones, may perhaps have also utilised the products to hack into a well being office site in November and to ship an unauthorized message to Florida crisis personnel, urging them to speak out towards the state’s pandemic response.

This is the latest clash amongst Jones and state officers, who have traded accusations considering that she was fired from the Florida Division of Health this summer months. Jones explained she experienced refused to comply with company requests she thought of unethical and she has accused the condition of mismanaging a wellness disaster that has so far infected much more than a million citizens and killed approximately 20,000.

Just after her dismissal, Jones released her own details portal, marketing it as the transparent and unbiased substitute to the point out dashboard. Now, Jones claims, the Florida Section of Legislation Enforcement’s raid is an try to silence her get the job done.

The armed officers, performing on a research warrant, knocked on the doorway of Jones’s property in Tallahassee all around 8:30 a.m. Monday. A point out law enforcement spokesperson explained the officers declared their arrival, informed Jones they experienced a search warrant and tried out contacting her throughout the 20 minutes right before she permit them in.

A 30-next movie that Jones posted to Twitter captures the tense times following she opened her door.

Jones has her palms up as just one officer orders her to stroll outside. She claims her husband and little ones are nevertheless inside of. The officer then attracts his handgun, walks to the base of a staircase and shouts, “Mr. Jones, arrive down the stairs — now.” Five seconds afterwards, more officers enter, also brandishing their weapons, and one particular announces: “Police. Arrive down now.”

From exterior, Jones can be heard yelling, “Do not stage that gun at my children” and “He just pointed a gun at my children.”

In a series of tweets hours afterwards, Jones mentioned the officers also pointed their weapons at her and seized her “hardware and tech,” such as her telephone and pc. She stated her units contained “evidence of corruption at the condition amount.”

Jones is an outspoken critic of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and she has alleged her ex-professionals directed her to physician virus case info in get to downplay challenges of an infection and loss of life in the state. The overall health division has denied this.

“This is what transpires to scientists who do their position honestly,” Jones wrote. “This is what transpires to persons who talk real truth to power.”

In accordance to an affidavit filed by point out law enforcement special agent Noel Pratts, authorities traced last month’s breach of a health and fitness office net platform to Jones, the agency’s previous geographic details systems supervisor.

Officials use the system, ReadyOP, to coordinate emergency reaction throughout condition companies. On Nov. 10, customers of a group specializing in general public health and fitness emergencies obtained a information that read, according to the affidavit: “It’s time to discuss up just before another 17,000 people are dead. You know this is erroneous. You don’t have to be a section of this. Be a hero. Talk out in advance of it is way too late.”

At the time, officers told the Tampa Bay Times they did not know who was driving the missive or whether or not that individual was a condition personnel. Spokesman Jason Mahon known as the unsanctioned use “both irresponsible and unlawful.”

Jones did not respond to an job interview ask for, and spokespeople for the health department and DeSantis directed concerns about her allegations to the condition law enforcement.

On Twitter, Jones stated she would not be cowed by what she characterized as a state-sanctioned intimidation campaign.

“If Desantis believed pointing a gun in my facial area was a good way to get me to shut up, he’s about to study just how improper he was,” she wrote. “I’ll have a new pc tomorrow. And then I’m likely to get back to function.”