Fired former data scientist Rebekah Jones arrested, tests positive for COVID-19

Enlarge / Florida's handling of the pandemic has been... a mixed bag. This beach was hopping on May 20, around the same time Jones publicly claimed the state fired her for refusing to manipulate Florida's COVID-19 data. (credit: Mike Ehrmann | Getty Images)

Florida police have arrested former state data scientist Rebekah Jones, accusing her of breaking state laws prohibiting accessing computer systems without authorization.

Jones on Saturday disclosed the arrest warrant herself, writing in a series of tweets that she and her lawyer had arranged with Florida police for her to present herself to law enforcement in Tallahassee on Sunday evening. (Jones and her family currently live in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC.) Jones was released from jail Monday after posting $2,500 bail and reportedly testing positive for COVID-19 while in police custody.

The warrant alleges that Jones gained unauthorized access to state Department of Health systems in November to send an unauthorized message to employees and to download a list of contact information for approximately 19,000 people.

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