UPDATE
Oct 14, 2024 6:05 PM CDT
Law enforcement officials reported Monday that an armed suspect was arrested in western North Carolina on charges of making threats against federal emergency response workers helping with the hurricane recovery. The 44-year-old man was taken into custody at a supermarket where a FEMA bus was parked on Saturday, they said, the same day employees were told to move from the area for their own safety, per the Washington Post. The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said William Jacob Parsons, of Bostic, acted alone. The statement added that reports of "trucks of armed militia" in the area turned out to be false.
Oct 14, 2024 2:00 AM CDT
Federal emergency response personnel were warned to move to a different area after reports of threats from an armed militia in Rutherford County, North Carolina. A Saturday email from an official with the US Forest Service, which was seen by the Washington Post, warned multiple federal agencies that "FEMA has advised all federal responders (in) Rutherford County, NC, to stand down and evacuate the county immediately." It said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was concerned about reports from National Guard troops who said they encountered "trucks of armed militia saying there were out hunting FEMA." Personnel were back in place by Sunday, however, sources say.
Two federal officials said the email was authentic, though it is not clear how credible the threat itself was. But WBTV cites a similar email sent on Saturday from Vanguard Inspection Services, an inspection agency that acts as a contractor for FEMA, and the station says sources with "direct knowledge of the threats" have confirmed the report. Misinformation has plagued Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, with tensions rising as rumors spread about the federal government's plans in North Carolina. There have been reports of locals shouting "We don't want the government here" at employees trying to provide aid. (More Hurricane Helene stories.)
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