A manhunt is underway in California for a paroled sex offender who fled in a motorhome with his two young children.

ABC 7 reports that Stephen Houk, 46, fled the Mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles in motorhome on Tuesday after an argument with his wife. The suspect took a three-year-old and an 11-month-old child with him, and they have since been recovered safely.

His wife reportedly contacted police, claiming Houk had committed domestic violence, and authorities chased the motorhome from Los Angeles County to Kern County. In the Bakersville area, Houk reportedly pulled to the side of the road as police were on his tail, and is believed to have fled on foot, obscured by dust kicked up by the chase. Police reportedly believed he is armed.

Authorities at the scene immediately went to the motorhome to check on the children. A police officer told ABC 7 that a three-year-old boy exited the vehicle on his own, and that police then retrieved the 11-month-old from the minivan. Both children appeared to be unharmed.

Houk is considered armed and dangerous, and is a registered sex offender following a felony sodomy conviction in Oregon. He was paroled following the conviction.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s Capt. Darren Harris told KNBC-TV that Houk’s victim in the case was under the age of 14, but said the details were  “too egregious to discuss.”

[Feature image: Stephen Houk/Marion County Sheriff Office]