An Everglades scientist found guilty of contempt of court will surrender in July to serve a 10-day jail sentence, according to a judge’s order issued Thursday.
Tom Van Lent was sentenced to time behind bars after the Everglades Foundation accused him of stealing trade secrets three years ago. Van Lent denied stealing protected documents, but a judge found him guilty of criminal contempt after he disobeyed an order to stop deleting information from his computers. Van Lent said he was erasing personal documents.
“I will be surrendering to the court on July 17,” Van Lent said Thursday. “The Everglades Foundation’s relentless campaign against me reflects their fear that their organization will be exposed for putting politics and money above science in the Everglades.”…