No, there aren't 'armed militias' hunting FEMA in western NC
This rumor turned out to be one man, who has been arrested.
The claim that "National Guard troops had come across trucks of armed militia saying they were out hunting FEMA" is not a thing. Here’s what I tracked down through various sources.
The whole thing started with a Polk County gas station employee telling an Army captain he overheard one guy allegedly making threats about FEMA.
According to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, the county communications center got a call about “a white male had an assault rifle and made the comment about possibly harming FEMA employees working after the disaster of Hurricane Helene in the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area.”
Again, one guy.
Yet, somehow this one guy turned into “trucks of armed militia,” which, according to this chronologically challenged Washington Post article, tracks back to an unnamed Forest Services official. This is what that official told other federal agencies:
“FEMA has advised all federal responders (in) Rutherford County, NC, to stand down and evacuate the county immediately. Had come across x2 trucks of armed militia saying there were out hunting FEMA.”
It’s this Forest Service official’s statements that lead to FEMA backing out of the area for a while.
Who is the one guy?
Per the Rutherford Sheriff, his name is William Jacob Parsons, age 44, of Bostic, N.C.
As noted in the press release above, Parsons was charged with Going Armed to the Terror of the Public and released on a $10,000 bond.
Parsons is registered as unaffiliated in Rutherford County. His registration date is last June. He has past removed voter registrations in both Rutherford and Buncombe Counties.
He has no jail/corrections records that I was able to find and not a ton of social media presence other than a Facebook page that has posts showing he was not a fan of COVID vaccines.
eCourt records list a “William Jacob Parsons” with three disposed cases spanning Buncombe and Polk Counties; one for fishing without a license, another for moving violations and speeding, and one that looks like a plea deal for marijuana possession. [The lack of details in the eCourts records makes it hard to determine if cases are same Parsons arrested for the threats.]
More To The Story
A Washington Post article published just a day later links to, but totally ignores, the paper's own earlier reporting that it was one guy and not a militia.
The article then begins blaming President Trump and Elon Musk's "relaxed moderation policies" on X for the alleged threats FEMA; again ignoring the paper’s own reporting from the day prior.
The author of the latter article hypes the threat and then deflates the threat in the same paragraph. Remember, this was published a day after the Washington Post article I cited earlier. This author knew what the origin was.
"The origin of the threats and how serious they have been isn’t yet known. The North Carolina National Guard has reportedly said it has no actual reports of encountering militia, though authorities in the state arrested an individual Saturday and charged him in connection with alleged threats made against FEMA."
Rep. Chuck Edwards got some kudos last week for debunking some FEMA-related rumors, but the second Washington Post article mentioned here reported that he turned around and repeated the "militia" rumor on MSNBC.
Separately, Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) told MSNBC on Sunday that “we had two counties [where] folks reported different militia groups attacking and threatening FEMA.”
Meanwhile, at a Helene recovery briefing on Oct. 15, Governor Roy Cooper commented on FEMA pausing its operations.
"If you're participating in spreading this stuff, stop it," Cooper said. "Whatever your aim is, the people you are really hurting are those in western North Carolina who need help. The safety of our government and volunteer response workers, including FEMA, remains a top priority."
"I've directed the Department of Public Safety to coordinate law enforcement assistance for FEMA and other responders who need it to help ensure their safety and security, so people can keep getting the help that they desperately need," Cooper added.
Cooper was joined by FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.
"Let me be clear, I take these threats seriously, and the safety of these responders is and will remain a priority for me and my team now," Criswell said. "Over the weekend, out of an abundance of caution, we made operational changes to keep FEMA personnel safe, but none of the changes we made impacted ongoing search and rescue or other life safety operations."
Criswell is the same FEMA official who complained her employees were uncomfortable and demoralized by criticism of FEMA's seemingly slow and, at times, non-existent presence in the western NC.
This entire story is a case study of how a lie can fly around the world before the truth even gets its pants on.
Update: WGHP is reporting that Parsons “called on others” to join him. The article points to a Facebook post by Parsons:
“We the people are sick and tired of the BS,” the post read. Parsons read the message while speaking with Nexstar’s WGHP on Tuesday. “We the people are seeking volunteers to join us and overtake the FEMA site in Lake Lure and send the products up the mountains this Saturday. We the people are done playing games. It’s time to show who we are and what we believe. They want to screw our citizens. Now, we return the favor.”