Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies are explaining how a sex offender got away from law enforcement after a long chase that ended in an almond orchard north of Bakersfield.

Captain Eddie Hernandez says Stephen Houk took cover in the foliage after kicking up a cloud of dust with his RV Tuesday then ran for three hours, taking care to avoid highways. Houk eventually walked to Bakersfield, shaved his beard, slept outside a library and boarded a train to Arizona after tips from people at a homeless shelter. He had previously lived in Arizona.

Houk was arrested without incident Thursday in a railcar in Barstow.

Kelli Pierce