Suspect in motor home chase shaved his beard before attempting to flee on a train, authorities say

A sex offender who was the subject of a two-day manhunt after leading authorities on a chase in a motor home changed his appearance by shaving off his beard before attempting to flee to Arizona, authorities said Friday.

Stephen Houk, 46, was arrested about 4:30 p.m. Thursday when officers found him hiding inside the compartment of an empty rail car in Barstow, more than 100 miles from where police last saw him, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said.

With his two young children inside the motor home, Houk had led authorities on an hours-long chase that began in L.A. County and ended when the vehicle became stuck in an almond orchard near Bakersfield. Houk escaped that time, but left his children at the scene.

Speaking at a news conference Friday, the sheriff credited the cooperation of multiple police departments and agencies involved in the search for Houk, who was wanted on suspicion of violations including child abduction and child endangerment.

After his capture in Barstow, Houk was taken to the Lancaster sheriff’s station, where he was booked on 14 felony counts, McDonnell said. His bail was set at $1 million.

If convicted on all counts, Houk could spend up to 75 years in prison, said Capt. Eddie Hernandez of the Sheriff’s Department’s Major Crimes Bureau.

While in custody, Houk told officials he had eluded arrest by avoiding highways and running for three hours in the dark toward Bakersfield.

“When it got dark, he figured that the manhunt had stopped, and so he started to walk and made his way down to Bakersfield,” Hernandez said.

Once there, Houk rested at a library and then went to a nearby homeless shelter to eat.

By then, officials had information that Houk was in Bakersfield and learned from locals that a train there left nightly heading toward Arizona.

After officials learned that Houk had hopped the train and was heading across the state, officers narrowed their search to Barstow, where the train had made a stop.

Officials asked railroad police to stop all freight trains in order to continue the search, which eventually led them to Houk.

The series of events began around 8 a.m. Tuesday, when Houk got into a heated argument in his motor home with the mother of his two young children, McDonnell said.

The dispute escalated when Houk pointed a handgun at her and threatened to kill her and harm their kids, McDonnell said.

Houk then head-butted the woman and pushed her out of the motor home and into a shopping center parking lot before driving off with their 3-year-old son and 11-month old daughter still inside the vehicle, officials said.

Not long after the woman spoke with authorities, Los Angeles police spotted the motor home and attempted to pull it over. But Houk didn’t stop, prompting officers to embark on a two-mile pursuit, they said.

Officers soon canceled the pursuit to prevent injury to the children.

“Safety and retrieval of the children was the most important factor weighed in the pursuit,” McDonnell said.

At 2:30 p.m., officers spotted Houk inside his RV in the Culver City area and made a second attempt to stop him, hoping he would surrender. But Houk drove off, prompting a new pursuit.

Officers followed Houk’s vehicle as he drove north on Interstate 5, heading through Santa Clarita, Castaic and Newhall until reaching Kern County.

After heading north on Highway 99 through Bakersfield, Houk found himself in a rural location and began driving through an almond orchard.

The nearly four-hour pursuit ended when the motor home got stuck on soggy ground.

With dust in the air and thick brush obstructing officers’ view, Houk escaped on foot, leaving his two children in the vehicle. He later told authorities that he had hidden under foliage in the orchard, Hernandez said.

His children were found unharmed inside the motor home and were reunited with their mother. The children have been placed with the Department of Children and Family Services while their mother receives support and resources in connection with domestic violence, Hernandez said.

melissa.etehad@latimes.com

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