Two U.S. Forest Service employees who were kidnapped and held at gunpoint for 15 hours in a remote part of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest were researchers looking for wildlife.
“They were doing surveys on frogs in the area” U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Tom Stokesberry said. “They were on Forest Service land, just doing their job.”
The two workers, whose identity is being shielded to protect their privacy, were working last Thursday morning, July 16 near the Gumboot Campground near Mt. Shasta when they were allegedly taken hostage by a man and his son. They were released early the following day.
Although they continue to keep a low profile, Stokesberry relayed a message that they and other Forest Service personnel appreciated the outpouring of kind messages they’ve received on social media since the frightening incident.
“They are home. They are safe. They are healthy.” They’ll be taking “time to process this,” Stokesberry said.
The two men accused of kidnapping the wildlife researchers were living in their trailer when they drove it to the remote forest campground, Stokesberry reported. He dispelled social media rumors the father and son had lived in the forest for some time or were growing marijuana.
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Alleged kidnappers living in Siskiyou County face kidnapping charges
The two men the FBI arrested will face charges of kidnapping two federal employees, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced on Monday, July 20.
If convicted, Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his son Phoenix Henrichsen, 23, “face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in the announcement.
Father and son were current residents of Siskiyou County, the attorney’s office reported.
According to court documents, the two men allegedly abducted at gunpoint the two Forest Service field researchers, bound them and took them to the trailer, Grant said. Soon after, at 10:55 a.m. Joseph Henrichsen used a cell phone belonging to one of the hostages to call law enforcement and tell them “he had ‘live rounds ready to (expletive) anyone who (expletives) with me,’” the attorney’s office said.
A standoff with Mount Shasta Police, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s deputies, and state and federal law enforcement followed. The two men released the two workers, negotiations with law enforcement continued, and eventually they surrendered at 2:30 a.m. on Friday, July 17.
The Forest Service announced on social media it re-opened Shasta Lake Ranger Station offices on Tuesday, July 21, following a short day on Monday.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica on Record Searchlight Facebook groups Get Out! Nor Cal, Today in Shasta County and Shaping Redding’s Future. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: 2 kidnapped in Shasta-Trinity National Forest were studying wildlife
Reporting by Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
