Judge: State needs to decide if it will criminally charge Rebekah Jones

A North Florida judge heard arguments Wednesday over whether the Florida Department of Law Enforcement should return computers and phones it seized from the home of former Florida Department of Health analyst, Rebekah Jones but in the end, he didn’t rule either way.

BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY ANDCELEBRITY SEA SHEPHERDS CAPTAINPAUL WATSON.TONIGH━A NORTH FLORIDA JUDGEHEARS ARGUMENTS OVER WHETHERFLORIDA’S DEPARTMENT OF LAWENFORCEMENT SHOULD RETURNCOMPUTERS AND PHONES THEY SEIZEDFROM THE HOME OF FORMER FLORIDADEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ANALYST,REBEKAH JONES.INVESTIGATOR KATIE LAGRONE HASTHE LATEST.IN THE END, THE LEON COUNTYJUDGE NEITHER GRANTED NOR DENIEDTHAT MOTION BUT DID PUT PRESSUREON THE STATE TO FIGURE OUT IF ITPLANS TO CRIMINALLY CHARGEREBECCA JONES OR DROP ITS CASEAGAINST HER ALL TOGETHER.DURING THE HEARING HELD OVERZOOM THIS AFTERNOO━JONES’ ATTORNEY ARGUE━ SHENEVER COMMITTED ANY CRIMESOFLORIDA’S DEPARTMENT OF LAWENFORCEMENT DIDN’T HAVE PROBABLECAUSE TO ENTER HER HOME LASTMONTH OR TAKE ANY OF HERBELONGING━ AFTER IT RECEIVED ACOMPLAINT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH THAT SOMEONE HACKED INTOA SECURE PART OF ITS WEBSITESENDING AN ANONYMOUS MESSAGE.INVESTIGATORS SAID, THE COMPUTERWAS TRACED TO JONES’ HOME ANDTHAT’S WHY THEY EXECUTED ASEARCH WARRANT THERE SEIZINGCOMPUTERS AND HER PHONES.TODAY, THE STATE DIDN’T HAVE TOSAY MUCH BEFORE THE JUDGEDECLARED HE SIMPLY DIDNT’ HAVEENOUGH INFORMATION TO RULEEITHER WAY."judg━has the state made the decisionnot pursue criminal charges, ifthey have i need to know that,if they haven’t i need to knowthat too."BACK IN MAY, REBEKAH JONES MADENATIONAL HEADLINES WHEN SHE WASFIRED FROM HER JOB AS A DATAANALYST WITH FLORIDA’SDEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AFTER, SHESAYS, SHE WAS ASKED BUT REFUSEDTO MANIPULATE COVID CASE NUMBERSTO MAKE THE STATE LOOK SAFER TOREOPENJONES CLAIMS THE SEARCH OF HERHOME LAST MONTH WAS PAYBACK BYTHE STATE AND THE GOVERNORTRYING TO SILENCE HER.JONES HAS SINCE FILED AWHISTLEBLOWER’S LAWSUIT AGAINSTTHE STATEAND MOST RECENTLY, ALAWSUIT AGAINST THE DEPARTMENTOF LAW ENFORCEMEN━ ACCUSING THESTATE’S TOP LAW ENFORCEMENTAGENCY OF VIOLATING HERCONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.

ASPOKESPERSON FOR THE DEPARTMENTOF LAW ENFORCEMENT HAD LITTLE TOSAY