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The Florida data scientist, who alleged state officials fired her for refusing to change coronavirus numbers, said she plans to surrender to law enforcement a month after the authorities searched his home.
Rebekah Jones, who helped develop Florida’s Covid-19 dashboard, has been waging a months-long public battle with the state since she claimed officials kicked her out of her post for her refusal to ” manually modify the data to obtain support for the reopening plan ”. She announced on social media on Saturday that she planned to surrender to authorities.
“To protect my family from the continued police violence and to show that I’m ready to fight whatever they throw at me, I turn into police in Florida on Sunday night,” Jones said.
A search warrant was executed at Jones’ home in Tallahassee after she allegedly accessed a communications platform run by the Department of Health and sent a group text on November 10 warning users that he was ” time to speak before 17,000 more are dead ”.
She denied the charges and filed a lawsuit against the state, saying the Dec. 7 raid was launched to “silence” her speech online and curry favor with Governor Ron DeSantis. Authorities seized Jones’ computer, cell phone and other devices.
In her Twitter feed on Saturday, Jones alleged that an arrest warrant had been issued for her arrest on a charge unrelated to the December raid and that authorities had not found any evidence that she sent the November 10 message.
“However, the police found documents that I received / downloaded from sources in the state, or something like that… it’s not clear at this point what exactly they are saying that I had that I shouldn’t have had, but an officer confirmed it had nothing to do with the subject of the warrant, ”Jones said. “The raid was based on a lie.”
Jones also alleged that an officer told her lawyer that if she reported the police, authorities could add more charges against her in an attempt to censor her speech.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed to NBC News on Sunday that agents were working with Jones’ attorneys on his surrender and would release more information after Jones was in custody.
It is unclear what charge Jones faces upon his surrender. Jones’ attorney declined to comment on the case to NBC News.
Jones’ departure from the state’s health department came after he stopped publishing the list of coronavirus deaths reported by Florida medical examiners – a tally that, at times, was reportedly 10% higher than the official state statement.
A spokeswoman for DeSantis alleged in a statement following Jones’ allegations in May that Jones “displayed repeated insubordination” and “gross disrespect”.
Jones has since sought protections for whistleblowers and developed another coronavirus dashboard, which she described in her lawsuit against the state as “scrupulously accurate and honest data.”
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