Rebekah Jones, a former Florida state employee who accused the DeSantis administration of hiding data about the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic from the public, has once again made headlines after her son was arrested for allegedly threatening to shoot up Holley Navarre Middle School in Florida.[0] The boy, whose name has not been released due to his status as a minor, was charged with written or electronic threats to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism, a second-degree felony, according to a warrant issued by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.[1]
According to police reports, multiple students at the middle school told law enforcement that Jones’ son had told people he planned a school shooting and posted threatening memes and messages on Snapchat and Discord.[2] One student even claimed that the boy had told her on Discord that he wanted to end his life and shoot up the school.[3]
Jones disputed the claim, stating that her son was merely quoting memes.[4] However, a search warrant revealed that officers found messages from the boy’s Snapchat account referencing guns and the Columbine High School massacre, as well as plans to shoot and stab people at the school.[5]
Jones has suggested, without evidence, that her son’s arrest was related to a lawsuit she filed on March 13 in Leon County, Florida, against the Florida Department of Health and a former supervisor, under the state whistleblower act, seeking to get her job back, lost wages and damages for her treatment as an employee.[3] On Twitter, she asserted that her son had forwarded “just memes” to his acquaintances, which she insists were non-threatening.[5]
This is not the first time that Jones has made headlines.[0] In December 2020, state police executed a search warrant at her home while investigating whether she accessed a state messaging system without authorization to call for state officials to speak out about Covid-19 deaths.[5] In the end, she faced a single charge related to harming users of computers, computer systems, networks, and electronic devices.[6] Jones reached an agreement in December to confess to his wrongdoing and settle a $20,000 fine through a pretrial deferred prosecution arrangement.[6]
Jones’ accusations against the DeSantis administration have been controversial, with a state inspector general later determining her claims to be false. Despite this, Jones has continued to speak out about what she sees as a cover-up by the state government, and her son’s recent arrest has only added to the controversy surrounding her.
0. “Miami Herald changes misleading headline after Dem activist Rebekah Jones’ son arrested for threats” Fox News, 7 Apr. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/media/miami-herald-changes-misleading-headline-dem-activist-rebekah-jones-son-arrested-threats
1. “Former Florida state employee’s son arrested for alleged school threats” Channel3000.com – WISC-TV3, 7 Apr. 2023, https://www.channel3000.com/news/national-politics/former-florida-state-employees-son-arrested-for-alleged-school-threats/article_1202ba90-f90b-5094-bae0-cef0a03f080a.html
2. “Son of Florida health worker who challenged DeSantis’ COVID stats ARRESTED for school shooting plot” Daily Mail, 6 Apr. 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11947801/Son-Florida-health-worker-challenged-DeSantis-COVID-stats-ARRESTED-school-shooting-plot.html
3. “Former state employee Rebekah Jones’ son arrested for alleged school threats” CBS News, 7 Apr. 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/former-state-employee-rebekah-jones-son-arrested-for-alleged-school-threats/
4. “Jones, Florida Whistleblower, Faces Backlash After Son’s Arrest” NNN NEWS NIGERIA, 7 Apr. 2023, https://nnn.ng/jones-florida-whistleblower-faces-backlash-after-son-s-arrest/
5. “Former Florida state employee’s son arrested for alleged school threats” CNN, 7 Apr. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/07/politics/rebekah-jones-desantis-florida-son-arrest/index.html
6. “Former Florida state employee’s son arrested for alleged school threats” KAKE, 7 Apr. 2023, https://www.kake.com/story/48681897/former-florida-state-employees-son-arrested-for-alleged-school-threats
