Convicted sex offender John Walter Sam was arrested in the woods last Saturday afternoon after a brief foot chase with Whitehorse RCMP officers.

At around 3 p.m., police received a call about a suspicious vehicle parked in an 'isolated wooded' area near Range Road and Mountainview Drive, police said.

When police arrived on the scene to investigate, they discovered the man in the car was Sam.

Sam, 40, was already wanted for an outstanding warrant.

Police arrested him on the spot.

While he was being arrested, however, Sam ran into the woods. Police chased after him, and after a 'brief struggle,' took him into custody, police reports say.

Police did not release the contents of the outstanding warrant, however, it involved a breach of one of Sam's conditions of release.

Sam was charged with resisting arrest, escaping custody and taking a vehicle without consent.

RCMP Crime Against Persons Unit and the Whitehorse detachment continue to investigate, and other charges may be pending.

After his release from a B.C. prison last February, after serving time for sexual offences, Sam relocated to the Whitehorse area.

He has been deemed a long-term offender at a high risk of re-offending against women and children, police say.

A committee set up by the National Parole Board of Canada meets with him weekly, as he is under long-term supervision.

One condition of his release is that he is to have no contact with persons under 18 years of age, unless accompanied by a pre-approved adult with written permission from his parole officer.

Sam was set to appear in territorial court today.