“There was no shortage of law enforcement officers and first responders at the scene of this remote, intense, hours-long standoff, which thankfully ended peacefully. We are grateful for the expertise and professionalism of those who responded to assist the victims and for the fact that no one was injured.”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

SISKIYOU COUNTY — On July 20, 2026, Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and Phoenix Henrichsen, 23, were arrested and charged with kidnapping federal employees in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

According to court documents, the father and son allegedly kidnapped two U.S. Forest Service employees who were conducting field work near Gumboot Lake Campground in a remote area of Siskiyou County. The employees were abducted at gunpoint, bound, and taken to a trailer where they were held for the next 15 hours. 

It is further alleged that at one point, Joseph used one of the victim’s phones to place a call in which he stated that he had “taken two fed [employees] hostage from the Forest Service,” that one of the victims was “ziptied,” with [their] hands “behind [their] [expletive] back,” and that he had “live rounds ready to [expletive] anyone who [expletives] with me.” 

That call prompted a large-scale law enforcement response involving local, state, and federal resources. After a 15-hour standoff, negotiators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Hostage Rescue Team secured the release of both victims and the surrender of the suspects.

In a news conference, the Siskiyou County sheriff thanked the FBI, the U.S. Forest Service, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, the Mt. Shasta Police Department, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, CalbOES, CALFIRE, and the California Highway Patrol.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.