Man accused of making threats says he believed social media reports about FEMA’s refusal to help

LAKE LURE, N.C. – A man accused of making a threat that led to a temporary postponement of some disaster rescue operations in western North Carolina said he believed social media reports that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was refusing to help people , but realized this was not the case when he arrived at badly hit Lake Lure.

During a phone interview with WGHP-TV, Bostic resident William Parsons read a social media post he wrote that said, “We the people” were looking for volunteers Saturday to “reopen the FEMA site in Lake Lure to take over and send the products up the mountains.”

“We the people are tired of playing games,” Parsons, 44, wrote in the post. “It’s time to show who we are and what we believe in.”

Parsons said he believes FEMA is withholding supplies and that his post is a call to action, not violence.

“So we were going to go there and forcibly remove the fence,” he said, but he found a different situation in Lake Lure than he expected.

“I went up and saw there was absolutely nothing there, so I stayed and volunteered all day,” he said.

Reports emerged over the weekend that FEMA workers could be targeted by a militia group in the government’s response to Hurricane Helene. However, authorities later said they believed the only person arrested, Parsons, acted alone. FEMA said operational changes were made to ensure the safety of personnel “out of an abundance of caution,” but workers were back on site Monday.

FEMA faced widespread disinformation about its response to Helene, which hit Florida on September 26 before moving further north, leaving a trail of destruction in six states.

Capt. Jamie Keever of the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said troopers called the sheriff’s office Saturday after a Polk County gas station attendant conveyed a “vague threat” from a customer, later identified as Parsons, that he was “going to make a mistake.” . some FEMA workers” in Rutherford County, The Citizen-Times reported.

In an email Wednesday, Keever said Parsons was arrested at a grocery store in Lake Lure that was serving as a site for a FEMA bus and a donation site for relief efforts.

“It does not appear that Parsons was involved in any relief efforts at this time, and if so, why was he armed,” Keever said. “I think based on what he said, he was willing to come forward with his firearms and accept the donations.”

According to his arrest warrant, Parsons owned an AR-style rifle and two handguns.

Sheriff’s officials said Parsons was identified as a suspect and charged with “arming to terrorize the public,” a misdemeanor, and was released after posting bond. The sheriff’s office said initial reports suggested a “truckload of militia members” were involved in the threat, but further investigation revealed that Parsons acted alone.

Parsons told WGHP-TV that he carries a legal weapon on his hip and his legal rifle and pistol in his vehicle.

A public defender was appointed for Parsons during a court appearance Wednesday, WYFF-TV reported. His next court date is November 12th. The public defender’s office did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.