Home » Santa Clarita News » Crime » Children From RV Pursuit Rescued, Search Continues For Suspect
The children who were abducted on Tuesday have been returned to their mother unharmed. Photo courtesy of the Santa Clarita Sheriff's Station.

Children From RV Pursuit Rescued, Search Continues For Suspect

Officials have identified the suspect who led them on an RV pursuit that began in Hollywood and ran through Santa Clarita on Tuesday following reports of an armed parolee abducting children.


Sponsored Articles


Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox.

Officials have identified Stephen Houk, 46, as the suspect they said allegedly kidnapped two children and led law enforcement officials on a pursuit in an RV through Santa Clarita on Tuesday.

The pursuit came to an end in an orchard on Merced Avenue and Zerker Road in Bakersfield, and law enforcement officials established a containment around the RV. At approximately 6 p.m. on Tuesday, detectives were able to locate the two children unharmed inside the vehicle, according to officials.

“Both children were reunited with their mother,” said an update posted on the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station Facebook page. “The dog that was seen in video footage during the pursuit was also located safe inside the vehicle.”

Detectives continued to search for Houk, but after he was not located following several hours of law enforcement combing the area, the containment was broken down at approximately 11 p.m. Tuesday night.

“Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and law enforcement in Bakersfield will follow-up on any leads and tips from the public as to the whereabouts of Suspect Stephen Houk,” officials said in the update posted to the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station Facebook page. “The suspect, a 46-year-old Caucasian male, is also a registered sex offender out of the state of Oregon who was on parole for a sex offense.”

The pursuit that ended in Bakersfield was one of two incidents on Tuesday that involved the RV.

Photo Courtesy: CBS Los Angeles

The first incident occured after detectives attempted to detain Houk, after he was suspected of being involved in a domestic disturbance incident in Valencia.

“Detectives attempted to detain a parolee at large who was believed to be armed and wanted for evading, child abduction, child endangerment and weapons violations,” said Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez.

The first chase began around 10 a.m. and ended on Newhall Ranch Road and Rye Canyon Road in Valencia after deputies called off the pursuit due to concerns over public safety.

The motorhome was later found in the Hollywood area around 2:30 p.m. by the Los Angeles Police Department.

LAPD officers attempted to pull the RV over, and the driver led law enforcement on the second chase from Hollywood to Bakersfield, across county lines.

The motorhome then drove northbound on the 170 Freeway past the San Fernando Valley up Interstate 5, according to LAPD officials.

The driver attempted to flee all the way through the Newhall Pass and passed through the entire Santa Clarita Valley up to the Grapevine, according to Officer Eric Priessman with the California Highway Patrol.

CHP Newhall officers “handed off” the pursuit to the Fort Tejon Station as the RV made its way through the Grapevine to Bakersfield, said Priessman.

(Click Photo to Enlarge)

The motorhome then sped through the I-5 Northbound to the I-99 in Bakersfield, according to Sgt. Rudy Alcaraz.

The chase ended on a dirt road in Shafter around 6:15 p.m. north of Bakersfield in Kern County, according to CHP.

The suspect fled on foot into a nearby field, leading to a standoff with law enforcement.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Santa Clarita Station at (661) 255-1121.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 - Santa Clarita News - Santa Clarita Radio

Children From RV Pursuit Rescued, Search Continues For Suspect

5 comments

  1. How did this happen? I am not law enforcement so I’m not clear on how it is possible that SO many law enforcement were chasing this guy through SCV knowing he was a parolee with with serious crime suspicions, yet they decide to “stop following him” for the public’s safety and just let him go?

    Do they just say ‘oh well?’

    They DO find him hours later … now he has kidnapped 2 kids (and a dog!) and “18 Sheriff cars are hot on his tail” (I saw this)… he was speeding at 55-60mph… all the way up and over the grapevine. There were 2-3 helicopters following this non-sense… and the guy gets stuck in sand down an orchard road in Bakersfield… and he gets away on foot?

    Please.. tell me I missed something other than what I’ve read and seen because this ‘seems’ like it should be a CRAZY embarrassment to our law enforcement yet this reads like ‘nothing strange about this story’.

  2. How in the F….. can this guy escape after being followed by about 12 to 15 police cars at a distance of about 30 yards….in…BROAD DAYLIGHT….in a Motor f..cking Home…..
    Police work at its most absurd….

  3. This is some of the worst police work in the nation they should be embarrassed to have let this maniac get away ,it almost reminds me of boss hogg from the dukes of hazard but its really happening what a true embarrassment on whoever was leading pursuit, God Help us all.

  4. I can’t believe this guy wasn’t caught. How was he not? Omg. Thank GOD the children are safe

  5. IMHO, these sex offenders are given way too many rights and protections. Here’s my solution: put him in a cage with a very horny gorilla for a few days then cut Mr Winky off.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Caleb Lunetta

Caleb has been a Santa Clarita resident for most of his life. After attending Hart High School, Caleb went on to study political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara along with College of the Canyons.