A father and son with ties to Washington state are facing charges after allegedly kidnapping two U.S. Forest Service employees and holding them hostage for over 15 hours, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of California.
Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his son Phoenix Henrichsen, 23, were arrested on Monday, July 20. They face charges of kidnapping federal employees and aiding and abetting the kidnappings.
According to probable cause documents, the men “kidnapped” two staff biologists who were working near Gumboot Lake Campground in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest on Thursday, July 16.
Documents state that Joseph Henrichsen approached the employees while armed with an AR-15, zip-tied their hands and forced them into a trailer. Phoenix Henrichsen then joined them in the trailer, documents state.
At separate times, Joseph Henrichsen allegedly drove a USFS vehicle with each of the victims inside. During this time, one victim was in the car while the other was alone in the trailer with Phoenix, documents state.
While driving, Joseph Henrichsen allegedly used a victim’s phone to make a call, saying he had “taken two [federal employees] hostage” and that he had “live rounds” ready to use, documents state.
The incident drew a response of local, state and federal law enforcement officers. Negotiators from the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team were able to release the victims in the early morning hours of Friday, July 17. Both suspects were arrested just after 2:30 a.m.
In a Friday news conference, the U.S. Forest Service said both employees are safe and have been reunited with their families.
A motive for the kidnapping remains under investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Campbell is prosecuting the kidnapping case. If convicted, the men face the possibility of life in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.
The FBI is investigating.
In 2022, Joseph Charles Henrichsen — who also goes by Charles Philip Perry — was charged with a hate crime and felony harassment for allegedly throwing fireworks and placing threatening notes at a neighbor’s home, whose landlords are Russian and Ukrainian, in Whatcom County.