Detectives searching for the Stephen Merle Houk in connection with the alleged kidnapping of his daughters following an all-day pursuit of his motorhome from North Hollywood to Bakersfield found him in a rail car in Barstow.
Detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Major Crimes Bureau found him about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, the LASD reported late Thursday afternoon.
They had been looking for the 46-year-old registered sex offender since Wednesday night when officers of the California Highway Patrol located the Houk motorhome abandoned in an almond orchard north of Bakersfield.
Two small children – an 11-month-old and a 3-year-old – and their dog were all found safe and unharmed inside an RV, capping a day of intrigue and pursuit that began with a brief chase in the SCV in Wednesday morning.
Houk is a registered sex offender with the state of Oregon and currently on parole for a sex offense.
He was also wanted by the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station assault with a deadly weapon, child abduction, terrorist threats, and evading.
While he was being sought, searchers and the public were advised to consider him armed and dangerous.
Once they had the motorhome, deputies set up a containment area around the vehicle and began searching for their suspect.
While Houk was being sought, searchers and the public were advised to consider him armed and dangerous.
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