money Rebekah Jones blasted state for 'kidnapping' son, but reports paint different picture. What you need to know:
The son of embattled former state of Florida employee Rebekah Jones was arrested Wednesday night by the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office. Jones broke the news on Twitter Wednesday, claiming her son was "kidnapped" by the state.
What is Rebekah Jones' 13-year-old-son accused of?
The 13-year-old-boy, who the News Journal is not naming, was arrested on a second-degree felony count of written/electronic threat of mass shooting/terrorism act.
An incident report released Thursday afternoon by the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office allege that the 13-year-old made repeated threats to shoot up Holley Navarre Middle School and to stab students who angered him. The teenager had recently been withdrawn from the school and was being homeschooled.
Original report: Rebekah Jones' son arrested in Florida after allegedly threating to shoot up school, stab students
Investigators interviewed multiple students who spoke with the teenager, as well as those who saw messages he posted on social media. In the messages to his friends, the teenager made the following statements, among others:
“I want to shoot up the school.”
"If I get a gun I’m gonna shoot up hnms lol.”
“I’m getting a wrath and natural selection shirt so maybe but I don’t think many ppl know what the columbine shooters look like.”
“Okay so it’s been like 3-4 weeks since I got on my new antidepressants and they aren’t working but they’re suppose to by now so I have no hope in getting better so why not kill the losers at school.”
"Does your plug have access to guns?"
"I always keep a knife on me so maybe I'll just stab people idk"
The teenager, who was homeschooled at the time of the alleged threats, told one of his friends that he planned to shoot up the school the Thursday before Spring Break but there were too many things going on so he postponed it until March 31.
The students reported the claims to the school prior to that date and the investigation was launched.
The investigator determined the teenager did "willfully violate FSS 836.10 − written or electronic threats to kill, do bodily injury or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism."
What did Rebekah Jones claim on Twitter?
According to the tweets, Jones said an officer told her a warrant had been issued for her son’s arrest after authorities received an anonymous report about messages her son shared in a Snapchat group.
Jones says that someone claiming to be a cousin of one of her son’s classmates joined their private Snapchat group. She says the person recorded the conversations and reported them to the police after her son shared a popular internet meme criticizing police.
According to Jones, a threat assessment was completed in which both local police and the school signed off on the messages not being a threat. Two weeks later, Jones says her son was then arrested. When Jones asked the officers who ordered the arrest, she says an officer told her “it was the state.”
Rebekah Jones claimed her son was arrested on the order of Gov. Ron DeSantis, three weeks after she filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the state Health Department and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo asking for her job back along with back pay. She also seeks compensation for “emotional distress” and punitive damages against former department deputy secretary Shamarial Roberson, who is also named as a defendant.
"My family is not safe," Rebekah Jones tweeted. "My son has been taken on the gov's orders, and I've had to send my husband and daughter out of state for their safety. THIS is the reality of living in DeSantis' Florida. There is no freedom here. Only retaliatory rule by a fascist who wishes to be king."
Who is Rebekah Jones? Rebekah Jones signs plea deal admitting guilt in DOH computer crime case
What is next for Rebekah Jones' son?
The teen appeared in a detention hearing via Zoom on Thursday afternoon where a judge determined there was probable cause in the case and scheduled an arraignment date for May 3.
The teen was placed on home detention release with a monitor. The judge also prohibited him from possessing any weapons or firearms, utilizing the internet for anything other than school purposes, and from having contact with anyone from the middle school.
Who is Rebekah Jones?
Jones is a former Florida data scientist who accused the Health Department of intentionally falsifying pandemic data on behalf of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The claims were rejected as unfounded by an inspector general's report.
Jones came to national prominence during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic after she was fired from her position with the Florida Department of Health. Jones said she was fired for speaking out about what she said was the state's manipulation of COVID-19 data, while state officials said she was fired for insubordination.
Jones later ran against Rep. Matt Gaetz for Florida’s 1st Congressional District, but lost to Gaetz who gained 68% of the vote.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Rebekah Jones son arrested in Florida for threating to shoot up school
