Armed man arrested on suspicion of threatening FEMA workers, authorities say

An armed North Carolina man was arrested after it was reported he made comments about “potentially harming FEMA employees” involved in hurricane relief efforts in the state, authorities said.

William Jacob Parsons, 44, was arrested Saturday after the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office received a call reporting that the caller had witnessed Parsons making threatening comments about Federal Emergency Management Agency responders in Lake Lure and Chimney Rock, said the sheriff’s office in a news release.

The initial report was made by a trooper who was part of the hurricane response in the area, said a sheriff’s office representative, who said the trooper witnessed the man making the threats at a store in Rutherford County.

The sheriff’s office said officers arrested Parsons, who reportedly had a handgun and a rifle at the time of his arrest, after investigating and receiving a second tip. He was charged with “armed action against the terror of the public,” the sheriff’s office said. He posted $10,000 bail on the misdemeanor charge and was released later in the day.

Parsons did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

FEMA has said it has “implemented operational adjustments” in the area after reports of threats against its hurricane responders. FEMA’s response in this area has been the subject of rampant misinformation and conspiracy theories, such as false claims that the federal government planned to “bulldoze and seize” Chimney Rock.

The Washington Post reports this that a U.S. Forest Service official sent an alert Saturday stating that “FEMA has advised all federal responders in Rutherford County, NC, to stand down and evacuate the county immediately. The message stated that National Guard troops had “…encountered trucks with armed militiamen saying they were hunting for FEMA.” Officials who spoke to NBC News said they did not know the contents of the email could verify.

Shayne Martin, a spokesperson for the Forest Service, said in a statement: “On Saturday afternoon, a Forest Service liaison supporting the Hurricane Helene response received an alert from FEMA which, in accordance with protocol, he relayed to interagency leadership.

A spokesperson said the North Carolina National Guard had not identified any National Guard members in the state who had made such claims or reports.

The trooper said in the report that “a truckload of militia was involved,” but the sheriff’s office said it discovered that Parsons had acted alone and that no trucksload of militias went to Lake Lure.

In a 2020 Facebook post, an account appearing to belong to Parsons posted an image that read “III Percenter,” a far-right, anti-government militia movement that claims a small number of people must protect Americans from government tyranny. . In another post, from 2019, the account shared an image that read: “WHEN TYRANNY BECOMES LAW, REVOLT IS ORDER.” Other posts included anti-vaccine statements and statements in support of former President Donald Trump.

A FEMA spokesperson said the agency has made operational adjustments in response to threats to the safety of its personnel and disaster survivors. In Ashe County, FEMA operations were briefly suspended in response to the threats and resumed today. the county sheriff’s office said on Facebook. Madison County had similarly shut down operations, who picked it up again Monday afternoon.

“FEMA continues to support communities affected by Helene and assist survivors in applying for assistance,” a FEMA spokesperson said. “Disaster Recovery Centers will remain open as planned, survivors will continue to register for assistance, and we will continue to help the people of North Carolina recover.”

Parson was arrested in the middle of the night a wave of disinformation on disaster response efforts and FEMA operations, as well as intimidation directed at government officials. FEMA’s public affairs director, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the mayor of Asheville have been targets of anti-Semitic attacks, according to a report report last week by the Institute for Strategic Dialoguea London-based think tank. It said in its report that its analysts found 33 posts on

FEMA and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety have since done so dedicated resources tackle disinformation.

Trump has fueled some of the disinformation, sharing the claim that FEMA diverted federal disaster relief funds to instead house migrants in the U.S.