On Tuesday, August 20, Pamlico County Emergency Communications received a 911 call regarding an individual reportedly armed and making threats against a local church. The caller said the individual was heavily armed.
Pamlico County deputies responded to the suspect’s reported location and encountered the suspect inside a vehicle in the church office parking lot. The individual was found to be armed with a rifle and a handgun with an extended magazine. The suspect, identified as William Russell Bergeron, 54, of Reelsboro was taken into custody without incident.
A search of Bergeron’s vehicle resulted in the seizure of multiple rifles and handguns and over 1000 rounds of ammunition and multiple loaded spare magazines for the firearms. At part of the ongoing investigation, deputies also executed a search warrant at Bergeron’s Reelsboro home where other firearms and ammunition were located and seized.
The threat was directed at a specific church and appears to be an isolated incident and the investigation indicates he was acting alone.
Bergeron was transported to the Pamlico County Detention Center and formally charged with the below crimes and is being held under a 1,000,000.00 secured bond pending his first appearance in Pamlico County District Court. He is charged with: Communicating a Threat of Mass Violence at a Place of Worship / Attempted Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill / Going Armed to the Terror of the People.
