Heather Taylor

Red Bluff Daily News, Calif.

(TNS)

On Thursday, two United States Forest Service employees were taken hostage in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and held captive in a trailer until they were safely released in the early morning hours of Friday, officials stated at a Friday press conference held in Redding.

The two employees, whose identities were not revealed, are safe at home, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said.

Two men, Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his adult son Phoenix Henrichsen, were taken into custody early Friday, and U.S. Attorney Eric Grant of the Eastern District of California shared that both will be prosecuted for the kidnapping of a federal employee.

Forest Service Chief Schultz stated the federal employees were conducting field work in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest when they were taken hostage by two armed individuals on Thursday, July 16. He stated the work the employees were performing fell within typical, routine duties.

Schultz said the first call came to Forest Service law enforcement around 11 a.m. Thursday, and the Forest Service coordinated an initial response with the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“From there, this was a joint law enforcement operation, led by the FBI, with our officers coordinating and supporting on the ground, along with the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Land Management, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and law enforcement partners from eight counties,” Schultz said Friday, adding his gratitude for all who assisted. The eight responding counties were not listed.

Siskiyou Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue said the initial call from the Forest Service indicated Joseph Henrichsen had the two employees at gunpoint and zip-tied inside a trailer near Gumboot Lake. The lake is near Mount Shasta in Siskiyou County.

“This is remote Northern California, out in a rural area where it’s tough to get resources in and out,” Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson said. “It’s a small, one-lane road. It’s probably about 2,000 elevation, up in a campsite area. It is rough terrain, and different than handling an incident within a city or an urban environment and having all these resources readily available.”

LaRue said the Siskiyou Sheriff’s Office mobilized and reached the area around noon Thursday.

“We started using drones almost immediately,” LaRue said, explaining they served as an excellent tool. Around 1 p.m., LaRue said a trailer was identified, with Henrichsen inside, and communication attempts began. Around 4:20 p.m., negotiations were started with Henrichsen.

LaRue said a lot transpired after that, and at about 1:50 a.m. on Friday, the two Forest Service employees were released. Following their release, around 2:30 a.m. Joseph and Phoenix Henrichsen surrendered.

FBI Agent Tosh said Joseph Henrichsen was arrested on federal kidnapping charges and had an AR-15 and knives, and claimed to have grenades. The motivation for the alleged kidnapping is currently unknown,

Overall, it was a success, Sheriff LaRue said, which he credited to the quick response and the coordination between agencies. LaRue said the California Office of Emergency Services, Mount Shasta Police Department, Department of Homeland Security, CAL FIRE, other local fire departments, California Highway Patrol, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife were all involved, as well as law enforcement from the Forest Service and FBI.

“Our teams did an amazing job. It was a large incident, and what I can tell you is it’s probably the smoothest thing that I’ve seen in many years,” LaRue said.

Tosh said the investigation is ongoing, and the public’s patience is appreciated. Those who may have firsthand information about Joseph and Phoenix Henrichsen are asked to call 1-800-CALL- FBI or share a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

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