Today CNN reported the story of Ben Kruidbos, director of information technology for the Florida State Attorney‘s Office. Mr. Knuidbos has been on paid administrative leave since May 28. How is this relevant to George Zimmerman?

The article reports:

Kruidbos testified before Zimmerman’s trial began that Martin’s cell phone contained images of Martin blowing smoke, images of marijuana and deleted text messages regarding a transaction for a firearm and that those images had not been given to Zimmerman’s defense team.

He received the termination letter, dated July 11, on Friday, the same day jurors began deliberating Zimmerman’s case. The letter states: “It has come to our attention that you violated numerous State Attorney’s Office (SAO) policies and procedures and have engaged in deliberate misconduct that is especially egregious in light of your position.”

He was fired for refusing to be part of a cover-up.

The article further reports:

O’Mara (defense lawyer Mark O’Mara) said he learned about the missing information months after he was to have received it. “The only way that we really found out about it … and the only way that we really found out about the intensity of the failure to give us information was when a person from their own office, a whistle-blower, came forward and said, ‘I gave them that information in the middle to end of January’ and we didn’t get it until June 4th.”

He said he was “beyond” shocked. “It could have derailed the trial,” he said.

This is one example of the reason we need protection for whistleblowers.

Yesterday the Washington Times posted an article about the case, explaining why they felt that it should not have been prosecuted at all:

The jury in the Trayvon Martin case on Saturday night acquitted George Zimmerman, but it should never have gotten that far. The Florida State Attorney’s Office should have dismissed their case before submitting it to the jury. That’s what the law required.

The prosecution failed to prove the defendant’s guilt by any standard of evidence. And based on the standard of probable cause, dismissing the case would have been the right thing to do.

The events surrounding this case are unfortunate–one young man lost his life and another young man has essentially had his life ruined. There are no winners here, and flaming the fires of racial hatred does no one good. George Zimmerman has been tried and found not guilty. In a healthy society, it would end there. Unfortunately I wonder how healthy America is at this moment.