A gunman was arrested by Rutherford County authorities for threatening FEMA employees working in the area affected by Hurricane Helene.
The incident took place on October 12. That day, the Rutherford County Communications Center received a call at 12:54 p.m., alerting about a man armed with an assault rifle in the vicinity of Lake Lure and Chimney Rock, areas devastated by Helene.
The individual, identified as William Jacob Parsons , 44, of Bostic, allegedly threatened to harm FEMA employees working on relief efforts.
Immediately, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office and the Lake Lure Police Department, along with other agencies, deployed a coordinated operation.
A Polk County deputy was able to obtain a description of Parsons’ vehicle and shared the information with authorities.
Following an extensive search, approximately one hour later, the vehicle’s license plate was identified, leading to Parsons’ location and arrest.
The suspect was arrested with a pistol and a rifle in his possession and charged with carrying a weapon to terrorize the public.
Parsons was transported to the Rutherford County Detention Center where he was held on $10,000 bail, which was posted, allowing for his release the same evening.
Despite initial rumours about the possible presence of a truck full of militants, investigations concluded that Parsons acted alone and did not represent a group attack.