TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Rebekah Jones, a former Florida Department of Health data analyst who helped develop the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, was arrested on a charge of offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks and electronic devices, officials announced Monday morning.
[TRENDING: Data scientist Rebekah Jones arrested in Florida | Disney World not selling any new annual passes | Orlando police search for missing 12-year-old girl]Online records show Jones bonded out of jail just before 11 a.m. Monday.
During her first appearance, her judge set her bond at $2,500, conditional on her having no contact with any of the people whose personal information was allegedly downloaded and no contact through state of Florida computer systems.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said an investigation into Jones began Nov.10 when the FDLE received a complaint from the Florida Department of Health that someone illegally accessed a state emergency-alert messaging system, known as ReadyOp.
Evidence retrieved from a search warrant on Dec. 7 shows that Jones illegally accessed the system sending a message to about 1,750 people and downloaded confidential Florida Department of Health data and saved it to her devices, according to authorities.