As leaders and experts continue to sound the alarm about misinformation surrounding Hurricanes Helene and Milton, authorities in western North Carolina have arrested a man who allegedly threatened to harm Federal Emergency Management Agency workers working on storm recovery to bring.
William Jacob Parsons, 44, was armed with a rifle and a handgun when he was arrested Saturday, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said. He was charged with going armed to terrorize the public, a misdemeanor.
Parsons, who did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment, was released on $10,000 bail.
Targeting emergency responders has been no exception in recent weeks. Amid a horde of wild conspiracy theories about the hurricanes — which Donald Trump and his allies have seized on in their bid to politicize the tragedies — recovery and relief efforts have been disrupted, local officials say. The alleged threat from Parsons led FEMA to suspend door-to-door operations for about a day, the agency’s administrator, Deanna Criswell, said during a briefing Tuesday.
FEMA workers aren’t the only ones affected, either: meteorologists have also faced death threats and increasing harassment as conspiracy theories spread.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
