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Arrest warrant issued for ex-Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones

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Re: Arrest warrant issued for ex-Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones

#23

While the State has handled this case wrong, she is not innocent in this. She made a bunch of drama about her interpretation of the data, which was, at best, no better than the State's method, and more likely, she was flat-out wrong. She is mostly a drama queen making a crazy mess.

"not innocent"

Like criminally not innocent? Not clear on what you mean hear.

Re: Arrest warrant issued for ex-Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones

#24

How many other instances are out there where authorities "can't say what someone is charged with" until they're in custody. This smells like a CYA deal with DeSantis and his partisan bungling of the COVID crisis.

It does, but it’s also SOP with the police, if someone speaks out against them or if they come up empty handed charge them with something so as to not look stupid.

Re: Arrest warrant issued for ex-Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones

#25
post #10

What a weird story that keeps getting weirder. I am a data scientist who spent June in Tallahassee helping coordinate state-wide COVID testing with FDEM (Florida Department of Emergency Management) and state health officials. Everyone I worked with was pretty dedicated to getting the roll out right (including the governor and his appointees too..) My data & work was spread far and wide with no issue - but just a pers…

Agreed--as a Florida resident, I have heard a variety of highly-charged opinions on this story from many of my fellow residents, but very few hard facts to confirm or deny any particular narrative.

I think the raid on Ms. Jones home was a grotesque and unwarranted use of police force, but I also think her "whistle-blowing" story is highly questionable based on the facts available.

Re: Arrest warrant issued for ex-Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones

#26

How many other instances are out there where authorities "can't say what someone is charged with" until they're in custody. This smells like a CYA deal with DeSantis and his partisan bungling of the COVID crisis.

Please define "partisan bungling" given that Florida has a lower death rate(1) and faster vaccine rollout(2) than the US average, while keeping schools open in accordance with expert recommendations. (1): https://91-divoc.com/pages/covid-visualization/?chart=states... (2): https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-glo...

Shhh! Can't let the facts get in the way of a good narrative.

Re: Arrest warrant issued for ex-Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones

#27

If a judge issued a warrant for her arrest there must be something there. So idk. Suppose it could still be selective enforcement.

this is way too optimistic for the US criminal justice system. police and prosecutors regularly lie on warrant applications, and judges regularly grant the flimsiest of justifications for search and arrest warrants. there is no legal accountability whatsoever: the most that defense attorneys can usually do in the case of illegal search warrants is to have the illegally seized evidence excluded; there is no punishment for the state using its immense power to harass and intimidate individuals.

Re: Arrest warrant issued for ex-Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones

#28

If a judge issued a warrant for her arrest there must be something there. So idk. Suppose it could still be selective enforcement.

I think the right move is to defer judgment until the charges come out, but it’s a real possibility. Computer crimes are notoriously vulnerable to selective prosecution depending on how much the prosecutors don’t like you; in most states, Florida included, any unauthorized access to any computer system can be charged as a felony.

Re: Arrest warrant issued for ex-Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones

#30

If a judge issued a warrant for her arrest there must be something there. So idk. Suppose it could still be selective enforcement.

Unfortunately if anyone were to have their laptop and emails searched with an eye towards coming up with probable cause to make an arrest, no one is safe.

Just as it’s realistically impossible to not break driving laws while behind the wheel, giving pretext to a traffic stop, the same is true if you give people looking to get you a huge swath of your life.

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