Suspect armed with rifle arrested after threats against FEMA in North Carolina

By Kanishka Singh

A male suspect with an assault rifle who had commented about "possibly harming" employees of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency after Hurricane Helene was arrested over the weekend in North Carolina, local officials said on Monday.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

FEMA has been the subject of political mudslinging while dealing with the impact of massive storms. Officials have said any rumors could lead to the targeting of FEMA workforce.

Former President Donald Trump and Republican allies, without citing evidence, have said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president, used federal emergency money to help people who were in the country illegally.

The agency set up a rumor response page on its website to tamp down unfounded claims about how its funds have been used.

KEY QUOTES

The Rutherford County Sheriff's office received a call on Saturday saying that "a white male had an assault rifle and made the comment about possibly harming FEMA employees working after the disaster of Hurricane Helene in the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area," the sheriff's office said on Monday.

Officials went to the location and arrested the suspect identified as 44-year-old William Jacob Parsons who was armed with a handgun and rifle. He was charged with "Going Armed to the Terror of the Public," the sheriff's office said.

CONTEXT

Parsons, who could not immediately be contacted, paid a $10,000 secured bond on the misdemeanor charge and was released.

Rutherford County is located southeast of Asheville in North Carolina which was hit hard by Hurricane Helene that killed more than 200 people in six states, nearly half of the victims in North Carolina alone.