The former Florida data scientist who blew the whistle on attempts by the state government to undercount coronavirus cases in the state says she will surrender herself to law enforcement officials after learning of a warrant issued for her arrest, USA Today reports.
The charges against Rebekah Jones are apparently based on files found on her computer, one of a number of electronic devices seized in a raid by gun-wielding officers last month. That raid was conducted on warrant claiming Jones had illegally used a government system to text message state employees; at a recent court hearing, state officials revealed they have no evidence to support the charges, and Jones says she expect those charges to be dropped.
The new charges apparently relate to files found on the electronic devices confiscated by officials in that raid. Jones claims the files in question were from whistleblowers in the administration relating to COVID data.
“To protect my family from continued police violence, and to show that I’m ready to fight whatever they throw at me, I’m turning myself into police in Florida Sunday night. The Governor will not win his war on science and free speech. He will not silence those who speak out,” she tweeted.