FBI negotiates release of two Forest Service workers held hostage in Shasta-Trinity National Forest
A father and his son were arrested after holding two U.S. Forest Service biologists hostage near Gumboot Lake; the hostages were released early Friday following negotiations with FBI agents.
Federal agents negotiated the release of two U.S. Forest Service biologists who were held hostage in a trailer near Gumboot Lake in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, northern California. The suspects, identified as 49-year-old Joseph Charles Henrichsen and his 23-year-old son Phoenix, had allegedly zip-tied the workers after abducting them at gunpoint while they were conducting field work.
Henrichsen, who identified himself on a police scanner as "Charles Perry," demanded that FBI investigators meet him in person before he would release the hostages. He told the negotiator that he would allow the agents to approach with a rifle, provided it was not pointed at him, and suggested they come unarmed to avoid provoking a violent response.
The standoff prompted a multi-agency response that included a SWAT team, sniper and bomb units, and an FBI hostage rescue team flown in from Quantico, Virginia. After several hours, the two Forest Service employees were released at approximately 1:50 a.m.
U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said the father and son face federal kidnapping charges that carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The motive for the kidnapping remains under investigation. During a press briefing, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Tosh noted that such crises do not often end with all parties leaving the scene safely.
Henrichsen has a prior record of mental-health issues and was previously linked to a separate case in Washington state involving alleged harassment of homeowners of Russian and Ukrainian descent. No prior encounters with local law enforcement in Siskiyou County were reported for either suspect.