Man Arrested for Allegedly Threatening FEMA Workers in North Carolina, Officials Say

Members of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force search a flood damaged area with a search canine in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene along the Swannanoa River in Asheville, N.C., on Oct. 4, 2024 . Mario Tama/Getty Images

A North Carolina man has been arrested for allegedly threatening employees with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) who were responding to Hurricane Helene’s devastation in the state, said sheriff’s officials.

William Jacob Parsons, 44, of Bostic was arrested and charged with going armed to the terror of the public, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said in an Oct. 14 news release cited by local media reports.

Parsons was armed with a rifle and a handgun when he was arrested by sheriff’s officials, the office told WSOC-TV in North Carolina. He was released on $10,000 bond, officials said. It’s not clear if he has an attorney.

“The initial report stated there was a truckload of militia that was involved,” the sheriff’s office said. “However, after further investigation, it was determined Parsons acted alone and there were no truckloads of militia going to Lake Lure.”

The suspect “made the comment about possibly harming FEMA employees working after the disaster of Hurricane Helene in the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area,” sheriff’s officials said.

The Epoch Times contacted the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office for comment.

Earlier Monday, a spokesperson with FEMA told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that the federal agency has made “operational adjustments” as another sheriff’s office said in a statement that threats were made to FEMA workers over the past weekend.

“For the safety of our dedicated staff and the disaster survivors we are helping, FEMA has made some operational adjustments,” the spokesperson said Monday morning. “Disaster Recovery Centers will continue to be open as scheduled, survivors continue to register for assistance, and we continue to help the people of North Carolina with their recovery.”

In a Facebook post, Ashe County Sheriff Phil Howell wrote that FEMA officials in the state’s mountain region, located in western North Carolina, were the subject of undisclosed threats. Those threats were not issued in Ashe County or surrounding counties, he said.

“We wanted to address the current issues being spread about FEMA in Ashe County,” Howell wrote on social media Sunday. “As a response, they have been here to help and assist those in need. Recently in the mountain region, there have been threats made against them.”

He advised locals to “stay calm and steady” and urged them not to “stir the pot” before saying that FEMA paused its operations in some areas due to the threats.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s office issued a statement Monday on the recent threat reports, saying he will direct state police to help law enforcement officials work with FEMA to identify the threats.

His office said that “significant misinformation online and reports of threats” are being monitored by state officials, which “must be taken seriously.”

Cooper has now directed the North Carolina Department of Public Safety “to identify with local law enforcement the specific threats and rumors and coordinate with FEMA and other partners to ensure safety and security as this recovery effort continues,” according to his office’s statement.

FEMA was deployed in North Carolina in late September after Hurricane Helene slammed the southeastern United States, wreaking havoc and devastation across the region but particularly in the western portion of the Tar Heel State around the Appalachian Mountains.

Officials with the agency have said that people have been posting significant “rumors” and “misinformation” about its response.

Director Deanne Criswell said earlier this month that claims the agency is prioritizing illegal immigrants or blocking aid in some places are “not helpful” and are also “demoralizing to all of the first responders that have been out there in their communities helping people.”