Father and son indicted in kidnapping of Forest Service workers

The men face a maximum of life in prison if convicted of kidnapping.SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted a father and son on accusations they kidnapped U.S. Forest Service employees in California and held them hostage for almost a day.Joseph “Charles” Henrichsen, 49, and his son Phoenix Henrichsen, 23, face two counts each of kidnapping a federal employee. The elder Henrichsen also faces two counts each of assaulting a federal employee with a deadly weapon and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of assault on a federal officer, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California said in a statement.The pair faces a maximum of life in prison if convicted on the kidnapping charge and 20 years on the assault with a deadly weapon accusations. Convictions on the other charges carry lesser sentences.According to law enforcement, Joseph Henrichsen encountered two Forest Service employees who were conducting frog habitat studies in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, near Gumboot Lake Campground, on July 16. Holding an AR-10 semiautomatic rifle, Henrichsen approached, told them to turn around and put their hands up. He then used zip ties to bind their wrists behind their backs. Afterward, he ordered them to walk to his trailer near the campground.Walking to the trailer, the Forest Service workers saw Phoenix. His father told him to clear space in the trailer for them to sit, an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit.The older Henrichsen took one of the victims at some point, put her in a Forest Service Nissan and drove several miles. He then used the employee’s phone to make several calls, leaving a voicemail for someone he knew, the agent wrote.“Joseph continues that ‘[Victim 1] is zip tied, her hands are behind her fucking back, and I’ve got live rounds ready to fucking [inaudible] anyone who fucks with me,’” the agent wrote about Henrichsen’s voicemail. “’So what I’d like to have happen, I’d like to have you send me a fucking fed investigator, with a goddamn badge, preferabl[y] from the FBI. And we can talk things through a little bit.’”Law enforcement learned about the incident, spurring several agencies to respond to the area. FBI crisis negotiators worked for hours, securing the hostages’ release after some 15 hours, around 1 a.m. July 17. Both Henrichsens surrendered about 90 minutes later.“In brief interviews, both victims confirmed that Joseph had kidnapped them at gunpoint,” the agent wrote. “Both victims said they had been held in the trailer against their will.”Both men remain jailed pending trial. Their preliminary examination is set for 2 p.m. Monday in Sacramento federal court.The Federal Defender’s Office for the Eastern District of California couldn’t be reached for comment.Categories / Courts, CriminalSubscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads