{"id":2986,"date":"2026-07-21T04:13:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T04:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=2986"},"modified":"2026-07-21T04:13:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T04:13:24","slug":"father-son-charged-with-kidnapping-2-u-s-forest-service-biologists-at-gunpoint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=2986","title":{"rendered":"Father, son charged with kidnapping 2 U.S. Forest Service biologists at gunpoint"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A man and his adult son have been charged with kidnapping two federal biologists at gunpoint in a Northern California forest last week, leading to an hourslong standoff with law enforcement. <\/p>\n

Read more Florida youth pastor drove 104 mph in DUI crash that killed his 8-year-old daughter, police say<\/a><\/p>\n

Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and Phoenix Henrichsen, 23, appeared in federal court in Sacramento on Monday but did not enter pleas to charges of kidnapping a federal employee and aiding and abetting. <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

An affidavit filed in support of the charges alleges that on Thursday morning, Joseph Henrichsen approached two U.S. Forest Service staff biologists who were on the job near Gumboot Lake Campground in Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The pair, who have not been identified, were conducting research for a study on frog habitats. <\/p>\n

Joseph, carrying an AR-15-style rifle, went up to them in a remote section of forest about 290 miles north of San Francisco and zip-tied their hands behind their backs, the affidavit says. He then ordered them to a nearby trailer, where Phoenix joined them, according to the document.<\/p>\n

The two were mostly held there, though Joseph is alleged to have put one, described only as a woman, in the Forest Service Nissan the biologists were originally riding in and driven her several miles away, using her phone to make several calls and leaving a message for a federal forest ranger.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve taken two fed biologists hostage from the Forest Service,\u201d Joseph said in the message, the affidavit alleges. \u201cI\u2019m driving in the ranger vehicle right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cHer hands are behind her f—ing back, and I\u2019ve got live rounds ready,\u201d Joseph continued, the court documents allege, before he asked for a federal investigator, preferably from the FBI, to \u201ctalk things through a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

They then returned to the trailer, where the victims were held for hours at gunpoint, according to the affidavit, which alleges that at one point during negotiations with law enforcement, Joseph said he had a grenade and threatened to use it unless officers backed away. <\/p>\n

Negotiators were ultimately able to get the kidnappers to release the victims after 1 a.m. Friday, before they surrendered, authorities said. <\/p>\n

Read more Democrats avoid a messy fight in Maine, but uncertainty lingers: From the Politics Desk<\/a><\/p>\n

Charging documents do not list a possible motive. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am not able to go beyond what is included in that filing,\u201d Lauren Horwood, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Eastern District of California, said by email Monday. <\/p>\n

Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue said at a news conference Friday that the suspects were not known to law enforcement.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Property records show Joseph Henrichsen lived in Orange County, about 580 miles southeast of where the incident happened, for several years.<\/p>\n

Court records indicate he was arrested in Whatcom County, Washington, in 2022. According to the Bellingham Herald newspaper, he was accused of throwing fireworks at the home of a neighbor whose landlord was of Russian and Ukrainian descent, leaving homemade handcuffs and a note that said \u201cAssassinate Vlad Putin\u201d on the front door, and walking around carrying a gun. <\/p>\n

The case was dismissed because the state was unable to provide psychiatric treatment to Joseph in a timely manner, the paper reported.<\/p>\n

The latest charges against the Henrichsens were filed Friday. If they are convicted of kidnapping a federal employee, they could be imprisoned for life.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not clear whether the two have legal counsel. The federal defender\u2019s office for the region did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

Read more Attempt to save a struggling swimmer leaves 5 dead in an Ohio river<\/a><\/p>\n

A preliminary examination was scheduled for Aug. 3.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joseph and Phoenix Henrichsen were charged with kidnapping a federal employee. \u201cI\u2019ve taken two fed biologists hostage,\u201d the father is accused of saying in a voicemail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-news"],"yoast_head":"\nFather, son charged with kidnapping 2 U.S. Forest Service biologists at gunpoint - Trusted Moving Group<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=2986\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Father, son charged with kidnapping 2 U.S. Forest Service biologists at gunpoint - 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