Federal authorities have charged a father-son duo with kidnapping federal employees after a dramatic incident last week in which prosecutors say two US Forest Service employees in California were held at gunpoint, zip-tied and kept inside a trailer for some 15 hours.
US Atty. Eric Grant of the Eastern District of California announced Mondaythat 49-year-old Joseph Charles Henrichsen and his son Phoenix Henrichsen, 23, of Siskiyou County had been charged in the crime.
The two Forest Service employees were conducting field work near Gumboot Lake Campground in a remote area of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest when they were abducted last week, according to federal authorities.
The incident “triggered a massive law enforcement response” from various local, state and federal authorities, and after tense negotiations, the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team was able to secure the release of the two employees and the surrender of the father and son early Friday morning, the US Attorney’s office said.
The US Attorney’s office alleged that the elder Henrichsen at one point used one of the victims’ phones to place a call during which he explicitly stated that he had “taken two feds [employees] hostage from the Forest Service,” and that he had “live rounds ready” to deal with anyone who came to him, using multiple expletives in his speech.
Authorities said last week they were still working to understand the motivation for the kidnapping.
The elder Henrichsen has a criminal history that includes arrests in Oregon and California, according to the Sacramento Bee.
If convicted, the men could face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Times staff writers Clara Harter and Jasmine Mendez contributed to this report.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.