Father and son charged with kidnapping Forest Service biologists in Northern California
A California father and his adult son have been indicted on federal kidnapping charges after holding two U.S. Forest Service biologists for about 15 hours in a remote campground.
A Sacramento federal court charged Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his 23-year-old son Phoenix with kidnapping two female U.S. Forest Service biologists near Gumboot Lake in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. According to an FBI affidavit, the men confronted the scientists on Thursday with an AR-15-style rifle, ordered them to raise their hands, zip-tied their wrists and forced them into a white camping trailer. Phoenix cleared space inside the trailer while his father left, later returning with one of the women in a Forest Service Nissan Frontier and threatening to use live ammunition.
Law enforcement was alerted at about 10:55 a.m. by a Forest Service officer. Deputies and a special response team arrived around noon, using drones to locate the trailer. The father identified himself as “Charles Perry” on a radio call, demanded to speak with the FBI, and refused to provide a phone number. FBI Special Agent Russell Quiniola led negotiations that began at 4:20 p.m. and continued for roughly nine hours. The father repeatedly refused orders to release the women, at one point claiming to have a grenade and threatening to use it if officers approached.
Around 1 a.m. on Friday, the father released one biologist, followed six minutes later by the second. Both women confirmed they had been taken at gunpoint. Phoenix surrendered at about 2:30 a.m., and his father surrendered shortly thereafter. Both remain in federal custody; a preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 3. If convicted, they face up to life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
The Forest Service said its priority is supporting the two employees and protecting their privacy. Acting regional forester Jacque Buchanan said the incident has deeply affected staff across the agency.