Financing was a problem. Henrikson and his third wife, Sarah Creveling, invested $640,000, and Carlile persuaded a friend from Spokane to kick in almost $1 million. The group still needed $400,000 to complete the lease purchase. After that, they needed someone who could drill a well for as much as $15 million.
By the time Henrikson and Carlile joined forces, Henrikson had already been doing business for about a year in the Bakken, setting up trucking businesses to haul crude and water and other loads for oil companies including Continental Resources Inc. and XTO Energy, an Exxon Mobil Corp. subsidiary.
Can-Do Guy
Former partners who did oilfield work with Henrikson remember his eager, can-do attitude. On the road and in business meetings, he was often joined by Creveling, a petite, pretty blond from the Seattle suburbs. She kept the books for Henrikson’s businesses, according to a lawsuit filed by federal prosecutors to seize his assets. The couple married in August 2011.
In a business where dusty work boots and scuffed jeans are standard issue, the young couple stood out. Sarah favored fancy cowgirl boots and a fat diamond ring; James wore a leather jacket, designer jeans and tight T-shirts that showed off muscles sculpted in daily workouts.
“He was a go-getter, ambitious, clean-cut. They really did remind you of Ken and Barbie,” said Steve Kelly, whose company, Trustland Oilfield Services, subcontracted hauls to Henrikson.
Rolling around town in a hulking black pickup, Henrikson liked to stop in at a Watford City bar that featured a pricey cognac for Bakken high-rollers, acquaintances said.
Storyteller Talent
“He just kind of exuded confidence,” said Amanda Kieson of Watford City, who contracted trucking work from Henrikson. “He’s got a big story and he knows how to tell it.”
He also had a reputation for cheating his partners, according to several people who worked with him. Kieson said she and her husband are still owed $100,000 for trucking work done for a company run by Henrikson and Creveling. Kelly said Henrikson began poaching his clients within days of being hired.