Man Arrested for Allegedly Threatening FEMA Workers in North Carolina, Officials Say

FEMA said it has made ‘operational adjustments’ in western North Carolina amid reports of threats.

Members of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force search a flood damaged area with a search canine in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene along the Swannanoa River in Asheville, N.C., on Oct. 4, 2024 . Mario Tama/Getty Images

A North Carolina man has been arrested for allegedly threatening employees with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) who were responding to Hurricane Helene’s devastation in the state, said sheriff’s officials.

William Jacob Parsons, 44, of Bostic was arrested and charged with going armed to the terror of the public, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said in an Oct. 14 news release cited by local media reports.