Home of former Florida COVID-19 data scientist raided by law enforcement with guns drawn

A Florida data scientist who built the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, but was then fired after she said she refused to manipulate data said her home was raided by Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents on Monday.

The FDLE confirmed to sister station WESH in Orlando that agents had executed a search Monday at the home of Rebekah Jones.

Jones said in a series of tweets Monday afternoon that agents knocked on her door around 8 a.m. Monday and took “all her tech.”

“They pointed a gun in my face. They pointed guns at my kids,” Jones’ tweet said.

Jones helped create the dashboard that tracks coronavirus in Florida. She says she was fired after refusing to manipulate data and claimed that current health department employees were manipulating the information.

She made her own dashboard after she was fired.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in June called Jones’ claims about data manipulation a conspiracy theory.

“You have no evidence for it. You need to move on, I mean you really do. It’s embarrassing,” the governor said in June.

Jones said the agents that entered her home on Monday showed her a warrant based on a complaint filed by the Florida Department of Health.

The video Jones shared on Twitter shows agents entering her home with guns drawn and calling for her husband to come downstairs, according to Jones.

The FDLE confirmed in a statement to WESH that the warrant was served after a complaint was filed by Florida Department of Health.

“This morning FDLE served a search warrant at a residence on Centerville Court in Tallahassee, the home of Rebekah Jones. FDLE began an investigation November 10, 2020 after receiving a complaint from the Department of Health regarding unauthorized access to a Department of Health messaging system which is part of an emergency alert system, to be used for emergencies only. Agents believe someone at the residence on Centerville Court illegally accessed the system.

When agents arrived, they knocked on the door and called Ms. Jones in an attempt to minimize disruption to the family. Ms. Jones refused to come to the door for 20 minutes and hung-up on agents. After several attempts and verbal notifications that law enforcement officers were there to serve a legal search warrant, Ms. Jones eventually came to the door and allowed agents to enter. Ms. Jones family was upstairs when agents made entry into the home,” the FDLE statement said.

U.S. Rep. Val Demings responded to the video in a tweet on Monday night. She called it troubling and said more information is needed.

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