Father and son charged with kidnapping two Forest Service workers in California

A federal grand jury in Sacramento has charged Joseph “Charles” Henrichsen, 49, and his son Phoenix Henrichsen, 23, with kidnapping two U.S. Forest Service employees who were studying frog habitats near Gumboot Lake Campground on July 16. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the elder Henrichsen approached the pair with an AR-10 rifle, ordered them to surrender, and restrained them with zip ties before moving them to his trailer.

He later drove one victim in a Forest Service Nissan, used her phone to place threatening voicemails, and demanded a federal investigator. FBI crisis negotiators worked for hours, culminating in the release of the hostages around 1 a.m. on July 17, after which the Henrichsens turned themselves in. The indictment includes two counts of kidnapping each, plus assault and weapons charges for Joseph, carrying potential life sentences for kidnapping and up to 20 years for the assault counts. Both defendants remain jailed pending a preliminary hearing in federal court.