After a two-day manhunt, convicted sex offender, parolee at large and suspected kidnapper Stephen Merle Houk was arrested in Barstow Thursday afternoon, according to authorities.

Here’s the latest from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the first of several jurisdictions involved in Houk’s pursuit and capture:

“With Major Crimes Bureau detectives following leads through multiple counties, suspect Houk was located in a rail yard located on the 200 block of North Avenue H, in the city of Barstow.

“On Thursday, May 3 at approximately 4:30 p.m., Suspect Houk was found hiding inside a compartment of an empty rail car where detectives from the Major Crimes Bureau -Fugitive Task Force took him into custody without incident.

“Suspect Houk was transported to Lancaster Sheriff’s Station where he is being held for kidnapping with the use of a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, domestic violence, child endangerment, and felony evading; totaling 14 felony counts.

“His bail was set at $1 million.

“LASD Captain Eddie Hernandez commented that Suspect Houk’s potential sentence, if he is convicted on all counts, could be up to 75 years in prison.

“The successful capture of suspect Houk was a collaborative effort between many law enforcement agencies spanning several counties. LASD Sheriff Jim McDonnell thanked the Major Crimes Bureau detectives within the LASD, the US Marshal’s Service, the Kern County Sheriff’s Department, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, Los Angeles Police Department, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Police Department, and the news media for their continued efforts in keeping dangerous criminals off the streets.

“The jurisdictional lines are an impediment if you let them be, but if you have the partnerships and you work well with other agencies, as we saw in this case, they are not an impediment and we were very effective in our ability to be able to track this individual and take him into custody,” McDonnell said.

LASD Major Crimes Bureau detectives attempted to detain the 46-year-old Houk, believed to be armed and wanted for evading, child abduction, child endangerment and weapons violations, on Tuesday afternoon.

Also a registered sex offender out of the state of Oregon and on parole for a sex offense, Houk attempted to evade authorities by driving a motorhome north on Interstate 5, through the Santa Clarita Valley. He allegedly took two children and a dog with him for the ride.

Authorities found the motorhome abandoned in Bakersfield Tuesday at about 6 p.m., but Houk had vanished, leaving the children and dog in the motorhome unharmed.

The children were reunited with their mother as officials continued a manhunt for the suspect, which ended in Barstow Thursday afternoon.