US Forest Service Employees Freed After 12-Hour Hostage Situation in Northern California

Two U.S. Forest Service employees have been safely released after a harrowing ordeal lasting more than 12 hours in far Northern California. Authorities confirmed their release early Friday morning, bringing an end to a tense hostage situation that began Thursday.

Law enforcement officials apprehended two men, identified as Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his son Phoenix Henrichsen, near Gumboot Lake in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The Siskiyou County Sheriff, Jeremiah LaRue, stated that the incident began before 11 a.m. Thursday when a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer reported that a man was holding two employees at gunpoint inside a trailer, restraining them with zip ties.

A significant law enforcement response, involving multiple sheriff's offices, police departments, and the FBI, was mobilized. Negotiations with Henrichsen, who was reportedly armed with an AR-15 and knives, commenced around 4 p.m. Thursday. The hostages were freed after 2 a.m. Friday, and both Henrichsens eventually emerged from the trailer.

Both father and son are now facing federal kidnapping charges. U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced the charges, while U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz expressed profound gratitude for the safe return of the employees. Details surrounding the negotiations and Henrichsen's alleged motivations remain undisclosed. The employees were reportedly engaged in routine fieldwork in the remote area at the time of the abduction. Sheriff LaRue indicated no prior interactions with Henrichsen, though newspaper and social media reports suggest the father and son previously resided in Washington. Joseph Charles Henrichsen had faced accusations of a hate crime in 2022, but a judge later ruled him incompetent to stand trial.

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I’m grateful beyond words that both of our Forest Service employees taken hostage on the Shasta-Trinity national forest are home safe.