Home / Crime and Justice / Forest Service Hostage Crisis: Duo Freed After 15 Hours
Forest Service Hostage Crisis: Duo Freed After 15 Hours
18 Jul
Summary
- Two Forest Service employees held at gunpoint for 15 hours.
- Suspects, father and son, surrendered after negotiations.
- Federal charges of kidnapping government employees filed.
Two U.S. Forest Service employees have been safely released after a harrowing 15-hour ordeal. The incident unfolded Thursday within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, beginning when a Forest Service law enforcement officer alerted the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office. The officer reported that two employees, whose identities remain undisclosed, were held at gunpoint inside a trailer.
Responding to the emergency, more than two dozen law enforcement personnel, including SWAT, snipers, and negotiators, converged on the scene. Drones located the suspects' trailer near Gumboot Lake by Thursday afternoon. Footage revealed one suspect armed with an assault weapon.
Negotiations commenced Thursday afternoon with Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his son, Phoenix Henrichsen, 23. Authorities reported one suspect threatened to use "live rounds." The suspects were found to possess an AR-15 rifle, knives, and grenades.
Early Friday morning, at approximately 1:50 AM, the two Forest Service employees were released. Less than an hour later, the Henrichsens surrendered to authorities. They were taken into custody Friday and are now facing federal kidnapping charges for targeting government employees. Conviction could result in life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The investigation is ongoing.
