I personally do not feel he is entitled to any taxpayer funded legal representation because what he did is potentially criminal, fell outside the normal course of his job, and he remains in possession of stolen county records that he is not authorized to possess and that are in fact illegal for him to possess under Fl. Stat. 817.5685. Furthermore, Owens admitted to reading the entire file (In a radio interview with Andrew Tallman on AM 1620), he knew it contained private, confidential records, yet he not only never told any county employee he had the file while he was working at the county--he also kept the file upon leaving employment and he also provided it, unredacted, to others---including opposing counsel in an ongoing court case against his former employer---------knowing it contained attorney client privileged conversations about that case in particular.
As Ricky Ricardo from "I love Lucy" might have exclaimed: "Someone has some 'splainin to do!"
When he "acquired" this file and knew exactly what it was, he should have immediately returned the property the owner and promptly notified the county attorney's office. He didn't. He read it, kept it, and gave it to others instead. He didn't need no stinkin' attorneys then!
But now he wants an attorney??
Nope, I don't believe he'll have three votes for this if it even comes to the board for our action--because he clearly DOES NOT qualify, under our policy, to be able to receive this coverage. Period. This was not a job related function he was performing, and no, he ain't no whistleblower--there are specific statuatory definitions of what a whistleblower is--and he is not one. Good luck with that.
Looks here like Jonathan Owens is following in the footsteps of his best friend, soul mate, and former boss, Disgraced Former Commissioner Doug Underhill.
And like his mentor, partner and former commissioner Underhill----Owens now is also requesting you, the taxpayer to fund a legal defense to his reprehensible, potentially criminal conduct.
I can't make this stuff up!
What D2 resident and former Underhill Secretary Jonathan Owens sent the county yesterday:
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