Two U.S. Forest Service employees were safely rescued Friday morning after being held hostage for approximately 15 hours in a remote area of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in Northern California. The U.S. Attorney's Office intends to charge Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his son Phoenix Henrichsen with kidnapping a federal employee.
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz expressed relief that the employees were unharmed. "I’m grateful beyond words that both of our Forest Service employees taken hostage on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest are home safe," Schultz said in a statement. "This was a frightening experience for everyone involved. Their well-being continues to be our highest priority."
Authorities were alerted to the kidnapping shortly before 11 a.m. local time on Thursday when a Forest Service employee contacted law enforcement. The FBI deployed a hostage negotiator from Quantico to coordinate with local authorities during the standoff. The FBI secured the release of the first hostage at 1:50 a.m. Friday, with the second hostage freed 15 minutes later. The suspects surrendered themselves to the FBI at 2:30 a.m.
The elder suspect, Joseph Charles Henrichsen, allegedly demanded to speak with the FBI after zip-tying the two victims and holding them inside a trailer near Gumboot Lake. The motivation behind the kidnapping and the specific demand to speak with the FBI remain under investigation. Federal charges will be brought against both men under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201(a)(5), according to U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.