Authorities in western North Carolina arrested a man last Saturday accused of brandishing an assault rifle and threatening to harm FEMA employees in the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area, as reported by the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. The incident occurred during ongoing recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene’s impact on the region, temporarily halting the vital work of the federal disaster relief agency.
The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office received a call at approximately 12:54 p.m. alerting them to the situation. William Jacob Parsons, 44, of Bostic, is the man law enforcement officials claim to have made the threats. According to Spectrum Local News, officers managed to quickly arrest Parsons about an hour after the call was made and have charged him with "going armed to the terror of the public," a misdemeanor under North Carolina law.
Initial reports indicated that a group of militia members was associated with the threat. However, authorities later confirmed that Parsons had acted alone. "The initial report stated there was truck load of militia that was involved. However, after further investigation, it was determined that Parsons acted alone and there were no truck loads of militia going to Lake Lure," deputies said as reported by Spectrum Local News. At the time of his arrest, Parsons was found to be armed with both a handgun and a rifle.
Following the arrest, FEMA made an announcement that it was making operational adjustments based on safety concerns. This decision to pause their work came after the threat assessment, as shared in a Facebook post by Ashe County Sheriff B. Phil Howell urging calm during recovery efforts. "Stay calm and steady during our recovery, help folks and please don’t stir the pot," Howell wrote, as noted by a WSOCTV report.
William Parsons was later released on a $10,000 secured bond after his initial detention, QC News detailed. With this development, Governor Roy Cooper’s office was prompted to address the matter. In a statement, Cooper asked state police to help local enforcement to better identify threats and to closely coordinate with FEMA to keep relief workers safe.
