Wednesday, 12 August 2026, 9:40
On July 16, 2026, two U.S. Forest Service biologists were performing routine environmental work near Gumboot Lake Campground. According to court documents, Charles Henrichsen approached them with an AR-10 semiautomatic rifle, zip-tied their hands, and with help from his son Phoenix, forced them into a remote trailer. They were held for the next 15 hours.
The federal grand jury returned the seven-count indictment on Thursday, July 30, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced the seven-count indictment on August 3, 2026. The defendants are temporary residents of Siskiyou County.
During the standoff, Charles Henrichsen called multiple individuals and said he had taken two federal employees hostage and was armed. In one call, he said he had "live rounds ready to [expletive] anyone who [expletives] with me," according to officials. The calls triggered a massive response from local, state, and federal law enforcement.
Officials have not named the two biologists and have not identified a motive for the kidnapping. Mia Crager, an attorney for the elder Henrichsen, said in a statement that "Mr Henrichsen intended no harm to these individuals. He hopes that some good will come of the case, including that his son Phoenix will get the mental health care he sorely needs." A lawyer for the younger Henrichsen did not return a request for comment.
Officers from multiple agencies converged on the remote Siskiyou County location. The response included the FBI, U.S. Forest Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Land Management, the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office, the Mt. Shasta Police Department, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the California Highway Patrol.
The FBI conducted the investigation with assistance from the agencies listed above.
Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue said at a press conference that authorities received a 10:55 a.m. call from a Forest Service law enforcement officer reporting that the employees were zip-tied and being held at gunpoint. Deputies arrived around noon and deployed drones. The FBI deployed agents from Redding, a crisis negotiation team, SWAT, and a hostage rescue team with assets from Quantico, Virginia. Drones helped identify the trailer just after 1 p.m., and negotiations began at 4 p.m.
After hours of negotiations, FBI crisis negotiators secured the safe release of both victims and the surrender of both suspects. The defendants remain in custody pending trial.
The pair is scheduled to appear in federal court.
The indictment includes two counts of kidnapping a federal employee for each defendant. Charles Henrichsen also faces:
The assault with a deadly weapon and brandishing counts each carry a fine of up to $250,000.
If convicted on the kidnapping counts, both face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The additional charges against Charles carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years for brandishing a firearm, to run consecutively to any other sentence, plus up to 20 years for assault with a deadly weapon.
For the assault on a federal officer count, Charles Henrichsen faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The incident took place in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, which spans portions of Northern California including Siskiyou, Shasta, and Trinity counties. The forest is roughly 115 miles south of the Oregon border and 150 miles north of Sacramento, according to officials. Gumboot Lake Campground sits near the southern approach to Mount Shasta, a popular recreation area. The local Elk Creek and McRiver River corridors are heavily used by campers and hikers, making the armed abduction of federal workers an alarming event for nearby communities.
Shasta County sheriff's deputies assisted in the response, underscoring the cross-county coordination needed for remote forest emergencies.
Violent attacks on federal land management employees are rare. The U.S. Forest Service routinely places employees in remote settings for monitoring, fire prevention, and environmental assessments. When threats escalate to armed kidnappings, the FBI takes lead investigative authority under federal kidnapping statutes. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Campbell.
The federal indictment marks a major step toward accountability for a traumatic 15-hour ordeal. Both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The case also highlights the dangers law enforcement and Forest Service personnel face in California's rural national forests.
