A man armed with a handgun and rifle was arrested for allegedly making violent threats against Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees working in hurricane-ravaged North Carolina .
William Jacob Parsons, 44, of Bostic, was arrested over the weekend and charged with being armed to terrorize the public, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release Monday.
Deputies first became aware of a possible threat against FEMA personnel early Saturday afternoon. A person called the sheriff’s office to report that a “white male [who] had an assault rifle” had made a comment about “possibly injuring FEMA employees working after the Hurricane Helene disaster in the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area.”
After a brief investigation, authorities obtained the color and license plate of the suspect’s vehicle. Parsons was arrested later that day and taken to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Detention Center.
He has since been released on $10,000 secured bond.
While the initial report indicated that “a truckload of militia” may have been involved in the threats, further investigation determined that the suspect was acting alone, according to the sheriff’s office.
The alleged threat of violence led FEMA to temporarily modify its recovery efforts in hard-hit areas of the state. According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, 95 hurricane-related deaths were reported as of Tuesday morning.
On Monday, the agency announced it would resume normal operations and outreach activities in North Carolina following “operational changes” made over the weekend “based on threat intelligence.”
“Ensuring the safety of FEMA personnel as they assist people in disaster-affected communities is always my top priority,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a statement. “I wanted to make sure we protected our personnel on the ground while we worked diligently with local law enforcement to understand the big picture.”
FEMA has provided more than $96 million in housing and other assistance to more than 75,000 households in the state, according to the agency.
However, MAGA-fueled conspiracy theories about the misuse of hurricane relief funds, or even who can “control the weather,” have quickly spread dangerous misinformation on social media – which has “the potential to seriously hamper storm response efforts or prevent people from getting help quickly,” FEMA said.
