Reports of militias in North Carolina “hunting” federal employees involved in relief efforts for Hurricane Helene appear to be dramatically overblown. Local law enforcement officials say they have not found evidence to corroborate the report that sparked a wave of fear mongering and a temporary suspension of relief work.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency ordered its employees in hard-hit parts of western North Carolina to “stand down and evacuate the county immediately” on Saturday due to reports of “trucks of militia units” allegedly “hunting FEMA personnel.”

However, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office is disputing the allegation that there were militia members on the prowl for federal employees. The sheriff’s office says it received a call on October 12 about a “white male” with an “assault rifle” who had allegedly made comments about harming FEMA employees.

The suspect was identified as William Jacob Parsons and he was charged with “Going Armed to the Terror of the Public” and later released on a $10,000 bond. 

As for the claims sparked by Mr. Parsons’ alleged comments and activity, the sheriff’s department says it has not found evidence of a militia link.

“The initial report stated there was a truck load of militia that was involved,” the department said. “However, after further investigation, it was determined Parsons’ acted alone and there were no truck loads of militia.”

The Washington Post’s initial report on the notice to FEMA employees to return to their hotels due to the alleged presence of militias kicked off a wave of other reports suggesting President Trump and other Republicans were to blame for allegedly inspiring violence against federal employees.

Since law enforcement corrected the record, the Post has updated its original story to note that local officials have disputed the allegations of militia activity and changed the headline. 

However, before the update was made by the Post, several news outlets published articles about the story with alarming headlines. A story by the New Republic featured the headline, “‘Hunting FEMA’: Trump’s Hurricane Lies Spark Terrifying Threat.’” The excerpt for the story reads, “Donald Trump’s hurricane conspiracies are coming true.”

The Daily Beast ran the headline, “Hurricane Relief Workers Forced to Evacuate Due to Threat of ‘Armed Militia’” Meanwhile, Rolling Stone’s headline read, “Hurricane Response Disrupted By Reports of Militia ‘Hunting FEMA.’”

Even after local law enforcement and the North Carolina National Guard said they had not found evidence to corroborate the rumors of bloodthirsty militia members hunting FEMA employees, the Post is blaming Trump for the scare.

The Post published a separate “analysis” article titled “How reported threats in N.C. trace to Trump-fueled misinformation.” Citing weeks of conspiracy theories about Helene and the federal response, the Post says, “It’s clear that the situation has led to heightened tensions, and that has now delayed recovery efforts.”

“And it’s easy to connect that to the volatile environment that social media misinformation has created in the areas most affected by Helene in western North Carolina. Both Musk and Trump have contributed to that,” the article says. 

The Post links the incident to the former president, stating that it was “preceded” by a “Trump-fueled conspiracy” about hurricane relief efforts.