Authorities arrested a fugitive convicted on drug and theft charges after finding him hiding in what they called an "elaborate tunnel system" dug underneath a trailer home in Alaska.

The tunnels narrowed as officers walked further in, forcing them to trudge through on their knees and then on their stomachs. Police in the city of Sitka said they eventually spotted Jeremy Beebe's foot sticking out of another hidden entrance, catching him after an officer pulled back the skirting around the trailer.

Police Lt Lance Ewers said Beebe, 42, had failed to report to the police department on January 12 after he was sentenced to nearly two years in prison, the Sitka Sentinel reported.

Acting on a tip, officers staked out a trailer park and saw Beebe heading into one of the units. Police used a battering ram to get through a plywood door they found on the outside of the trailer, which led to the tunnel system.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.