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<\/p>\nTwo U.S. Forest Service employees who were taken hostage while doing field work in Northern California were safely released.<\/p>\n
SISKIYOU COUNTY, Calif. \u2014 Two Forest Service employees doing field work in Northern California were taken hostage by two armed individuals on July 16, officials said.<\/p>\n
Both hostages were safely released in the early hours of the following day. Officials identified the two hostage takers as 49-year-old Joseph Charles Henrichsen and his adult son Phoenix Henrichsen. Both were arrested on suspicion of federal kidnapping charges, and their motive is currently being investigated.<\/p>\n
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The incident happened around 11 a.m. while the two Forest Service employees were doing routine field work on the shafts of Trinity Forest. A Forest Service law enforcement officer called the Siskiyou County Sheriff\u2019s Office saying that a man had two Forest Service employees zip-tied and held at gunpoint inside a trailer at Gumboot Lake near Mount Shasta.<\/p>\n
According to Brian Tosh, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Sacramento Field Office, Joseph Henrichsen indicated that he had an AR-15 and knives and claimed to have grenades. He wanted to speak with the FBI, and the Siskiyou County Sheriff\u2019s Office immediately sent out deputies and a special response team.<\/p>\n
Around 1 p.m., the sheriff\u2019s office was able to find the trailer where the Henrichsens were inside with the hostages.<\/p>\n
The FBI\u2019s Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) was also flown into Redding from Quantico, Virginia, in case the situation became more dangerous, said Tosh.<\/p>\n
In a collaboration with the city, county, state and federal agencies, Siskiyou County deputies and the special response team communicated with the suspects and began negotiations around 4 p.m. At 1:50 a.m. on July 17, both hostages were released. By 2:30 a.m., officials said Joseph and Phoenix Henrichsen came out of the trailer.<\/p>\n
Both were arrested and will be charged with kidnapping of a federal employee.<\/p>\n
This is an ongoing investigation, and the FBI is urging anyone with information about Joseph or Phoenix Henrichsen to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip to tip.fbi.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n