Two Forest Service employees rescued after 17-hour hostage ordeal in Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Two U.S. Forest Service workers were held captive for more than 17 hours in a trailer near Gumboot Lake before being released early Friday; the suspect and his son were arrested and charged with kidnapping federal employees.
Two U.S. Forest Service employees working near Gumboot Lake in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest were taken hostage on Thursday, authorities said. The men were zip-tied inside a trailer and held for over 17 hours before being released early Friday morning.
Law enforcement agencies from Northern California and a federal team from Virginia responded to the scene. Acting FBI Special Agent in Charge Brian Tosh identified the captors as 49-year-old Joseph Charles Hendrickson and his adult son, Phoenix, who claimed to be armed with an automatic rifle and grenades and demanded to speak with the FBI, according to Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue.
Negotiations began in the afternoon, with deputies locating the trailer around 1 p.m. and a coordinated effort involving the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, sniper unit, hostage negotiators, bomb unit, and FBI crisis negotiators. Additional support came from the Forest Service, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, the Department of Fish and Wildlife and Homeland Security Investigations.
At 1:50 a.m. Friday, the two employees were released unharmed, and the Hendricksons exited the trailer at 2:30 a.m. Both men have been charged with kidnapping federal employees, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said.
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz expressed gratitude that the workers were safe and noted that the agency is providing support to the employees and their families.
The incident was not disclosed publicly until Friday afternoon, after the hostages were rescued.