North Carolina authorities have arrested a man identified as William Jacob Parsons for allegedly threatening Federal Emergency Management Agency employees. Parsons, 44 had a rifle and handgun with him at the time of his arrest. He has been charged of Going Armed to the Terror of the Public.
Around 12:54 pm on Saturday, the County Sheriff received a call regarding an armed person who had spoken about his intentions of harming the FEMA workers.
The FEMA team had arrived to provide disaster relief assistance in Lake Lure and Chimney Rock which were affected by Hurricane Helene.
Soon after the call, investigators arrived at the area and took notes of the details of a suspected vehicle and informed law enforcement officials.
After being taken into custody, Parsons was provided with a $10,000 security bond and was granted bail.
Amid the threat chaos, there were previous reports of an "armed militia" that was marching towards the area. The County Sheriff officials have denied the reports.
According to investigators, Parsons was the only one who threatened the FEMA officers.
Soon after the threats, a FEMA worker urged all the fellow workers to stop their work and return back as reported by WBTV.
FEMA Responds to Threats
Following the incident, FEMA stated that it will continue with disaster relief assistance but with additional precautionary measures.
Referring to the incident and FEMA's decision to take additional safety measures, one of the organization's spokesperson told as reported by ABC News, "For the safety of our dedicated staff and the disaster survivors we are helping, FEMA has made some operational adjustments. " The spokesperson further added, "Disasters Recovery Centers will continue to help the people of North Carolina with their recovery."