Armed man arrested after allegedly threatening FEMA workers helping with hurricane relief

A North Carolina gunman was taken into custody after he allegedly threatened federal disaster responders who were providing aid in western parts of the state after Hurricane Helene.

William Jacob Parsons, 44, was arrested Saturday after local authorities said they received a report of a man with an assault rifle making a comment “about the potential harm” to Federal Emergency Management Agency workers in the Lake areas Lure and Chimney Rock, the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said Monday.

Parsons was threatened by a customer or worker at a gas station as he made threats, a sheriff's spokesman told The New York Times.

Authorities said they obtained a description of the suspect's vehicle and found Parsons, who is from the town of Bostic, armed with a pistol and a rifle. According to the Times, he was arrested at a supermarket where a FEMA bus was parked but not occupied by workers.

Parsons was charged with “arming to terrorize the public,” a misdemeanor, and released after posting $10,000 bond.

The sheriff's office said it believed Parsons acted alone and that there was no “truckload of militia” heading to Lake Lure, as the initial report to authorities said.

FEMA said it made some “operational changes” in North Carolina over the weekend based “on the threat intelligence it received.” Those changes included a pause on workers going door-to-door to register hurricane survivors for federal assistance, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said.

Door-to-door searches resumed Monday, Criswell said at a news conference Tuesday, where she also spoke out against the threats and false information circulating.

“Misinformation will not stop us from helping people, period,” she said. “That’s what we’re here for, and I want to set the record straight.”

Federal employees have recently faced a number of threats related to the spread of false accusations and misinformation, most notably from former President Donald Trump and right-wing social media influencers.

FEMA has repeatedly spoken out against these rumors and lies. The agency has created a website that addresses some of the most common claims.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Monday he has directed his state's Department of Public Safety to assist FEMA in coordinating with law enforcement to ensure their safety as they continue their important work.

“We know that significant misinformation online contributes to threats to responders on the ground, and responders’ safety must be a priority,” he said in a statement.