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In late-November 2018, an unknown subject transmitted on Washington County Sheriff's Office's radio frequency, using a two-way communications device, without authorization. The subject used a radio device to speak and identify himself as Washington-37, Washington-21 and Washington-15, requesting "radio checks" and driver's license information regarding various subjects. The subject also set off "alert" tones on the Washington County Sheriff's Office dispatch radio frequency. The same subject later transmitted on Washington County EMS radio frequencies, identifying himself as "EMS-3" and "Medic-121."
At one point, a police lieutenant sent a radio signal to the transmitting device, intending to shut down the unauthorized transmissions. A short time later, the Washington County Sheriff's Office Communications Center received a series of the same signals, which shut down the Washington County Sheriff's Office Communications Center radio for several hours.
The unknown subject made multiple attempts to continuously disable Washington County Sheriff's Office radios, and sent disabling signals to EMS radios which disabled EMS communications for 13 hours, and later, again, for about seven hours.
A radio text message was subsequently received from the unknown subject advising, in essence, that he would leave the police alone, if they left him alone.
In January 2019, investigators with the Bay County Sheriff's Office, while working a similar series of radio transmissions and service interruptions, developed a lead, and on January 4, 2019, BCSO investigators arranged a meeting with Cody Blaine Jones under the guise that they wanted to give him a "thank you" card for his assistance to the Sheriff's Office. Jones was advised that he was being detained, and he attempted to run, however Jones was tackled to the ground and was taken into custody, after which he gave this statement. When Jones was captured, he was found to be in possession of a police badge and gun. Jones had previously been prosecuted for his participation in a "swatting" network, along with various drug charges, and was a convicted felon. After being transported to the Bay County Sheriff's Office, Jones gave this recorded statement, along with another, much longer, recorded statement.
Cody Blaine Jones was ultimately charged with disruption of a computer network, unauthorized reception of communication services, three counts of falsely personating a law enforcement officer, depriving a law enforcement officer of a means of communication, unauthorized transmission to government radio frequencies, three counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and violation of probation. Jones was ultimately convicted on multiple counts and was sentenced to five years in state prison.
Jessica Ann Marie Davis was charged with accessory to a number of the charges against Jones, as well as perjury not in an official proceeding. All charges against Davis were eventually dropped, however Davis kept busy, and has since faced prosecution for driving without a license, driving a motorcycle without a motorcycle license, possession of paraphernalia, driving without insurance, failure to exhibit a driver's license, forgery (for attempting to pay for Taco Bell using a fake $100 bill), driving without a motorcycle endorsement (again), driving without a motorcycle endorsement (yet again), destruction of / tampering with evidence, and a probation violation.