Joseph Charles Henrichsen and his son Phoenix Henrichsen face kidnapping charges after holding two U.S. Forest Service employees hostage in California.

Joseph Charles Henrichsen and his son Phoenix Henrichsen were arrested after holding two U.S. Forest Service employees hostage for nearly 15 hours in Northern California. The incident began Thursday morning in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, where the two workers were zip-tied and held at gunpoint inside a remote trailer near Gumboot Lake. The 49-year-old Joseph Charles Henrichsen used one of the victims' phones to notify authorities that he had taken the employees hostage and possessed live rounds. Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, deployed drones to locate the trailer in the rugged terrain. After a successful negotiation period, the two employees were released safely early Friday morning. Joseph Charles Henrichsen and Phoenix Henrichsen surrendered around 2:30 a.m. Friday. Both men now face charges of kidnapping federal employees. If convicted, they could face a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The specific motive for the kidnapping remains under investigation.

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