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Debatable COVID-19 information Scientist’s domestic Raided, guns at Pointed own family, computer systems Seized


Earlier this year in May, Rebekah Jones, the information scientist working for Florida, who put together that state’s COVID-19 database, made national headlines when she was fired by the state over a disagreement in reporting the numbers. Jones says she was fired for refusing to control data that showed the next number of deaths while the state claimed she was fired for insubordination. Fast-forward to the present month, and what started as a firing ended with armed agents of the state allegedly pointing guns at a complete family, during a raid on their Florida home.


After she was fired in May, Jones made the subsequent claim:

I was asked by DOH leadership to manually change numbers. This was every week before the reopening plan officially set out into phase one. i used to be asked to try and do the analysis and present the findings about which counties met the factors for reopening. the standards followed more or less the White House panel’s recommendations, but our epidemiology team also contributed to it yet. As soon as I presented the results, they were essentially the alternative of what they'd anticipated. the entire day while we’re having this sort of back and forth changing this, not showing that, the plan was being printed and stapled right before of me. So it absolutely was very clear at that time that the science behind the supposedly science-driven plan didn’t matter because the plan was already made.

After she was fired, Jones continued her work reporting the numbers by starting the web site Florida COVID Action, which may be a dashboard of Florida COVID information, just like the one she wont to run the state. Since then, she’s been running this site without much resistance from the state — heretofore.

On Monday, multiple armed officers entered her home, pulled her out, before she says they began pointing guns at her children and husband.

At 8:30 am this morning, state police came into my house and took all my hardware and tech. They were serving a warrant on my computer after DOH filed a complaint. They pointed a gun in my face. They pointed guns at my kids..

Jones claims that she was raided for simply reporting the information and “speaking truth to power” but the state says someone hacked their emergency alert system and it had been traced back to Jones’ IP address.

In a statement, FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen confirmed hardware was seized at Jones’ home, and an investigation was underway into a possible ADPS hacking.

“Our investigation began last month following a complaint by Florida Department of Health that an individual illegally hacked into their emergency alert system,” the statement reads, in part. “As a part of our investigation, FDLE agents served a hunt warrant this morning at the Centerville Court residence where Ms. Jones lives after determining the house was the situation that the unauthorized message was sent from.”

Jones has vehemently denied she had anything to try and do with this:

“I’m not a hacker,” Jones said. She added that the language within the message that authorities said was sent was “not the way I talk,” and contained errors she wouldn't make.

“The number of deaths that the person used wasn’t even right,” Jones said. “They were actually under by about 430 deaths. i'd never round 430 deaths.”

Monday evening, the state released the text of the warrant and claimed that they gave Jones ample time to return out — 20 minutes — but she refused.

“Agents knocked and called Ms. Jones both announcing the warrant and inspiring her to cooperate. Ms. Jones refused to return to the door for 20 minutes and hung-up on agents,” the FDLE statement reads, in part. “After several attempts, Ms. Jones allowed agents inside. Agents entered the house in accordance with normal protocols and seized several devices which will be forensically analyzed.

“At no time were weapons pointed at anyone within the home.”

Despite this claim, the video shows officers pointing guns upstairs where Jones’ family was. Also, despite the state’s claim that this is often over an alleged hack, Jones’ lawyer, Larry Walters, said “this is retaliation for pursuing a discrimination claim against the state.”

“It is extremely unusual for your adversary in litigation to seize all of your client’s confidential communications,” Walters said. “We are concerned that this is often retaliation for pursuing a discrimination claim against the state and criticizing the Governor’s COVID 19 response.”

If authorities are retaliating against Jones for criticizing the governor, this can be indeed chilling.

What this shows, however, is that regardless of which “side” of the COVID-19 debate you're on, you're still subject to law enforcement officials coming onto your material possession and detaining or arresting you. no matter how you are feeling about COVID-19, this notion is worrisome.

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