A former California fire battalion chief suspected in the death of his girlfriend was arrested Friday after evading capture for more than two weeks.

According to The Associated Press, Orville "Moe" Fleming was arrested after a detective saw him boarding a bus around noon Friday.

Fleming had shaved off his moustache, changed into clothes from a thrift shop and had been hiding in vegetation near his house in attempts to avoid capture.

Homicide Detective Brian Meux said, "Fleming was basically hidden in plain sight." He evaded capture despite search helicopters and police dogs looking for him.

"He was a lone survivor for those 16 days," Meux said.

He was dirty and unkempt at the time of his arrest, but he was unarmed. He was arrested close to where he had abandoned his California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection pickup truck in a suburb of Sacramento on May 1.

On May 1, authorities found the body of Sarah June Douglas, 26, inside the home she shared for two years with Fleming, 55, in Sacramento. Douglas was found stabbed to death in the home.

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones said, "[Fleming] admitted culpability in the stabbing of Miss Douglas" after his arrest.

Investigators were afraid that Fleming would use his outdoor skills and his familiarity with California's mountains because of his career as a wildland firefighter to escape the area.

However, Jones said there was no evidence that he used those skills.

Fleming was fired from his job as a battalion chief and fire academy instructor after he didn't show up for work for a full week following the murder.

Meux said that Fleming moved in with Douglas after meeting her as an escort who advertised on the Internet. At the time of the murder, they were apparently in a "a romantic dating relationship."

"This was a domestic violence homicide," Meux said.

Fleming had filed from divorce from his wife in October, but the case was not finalized.

Fleming's estranged wife, Meagan Fleming, sought a protective order against Douglas last year, claiming Douglas harassed her and her children to try to get money from Orville Fleming. The request was denied, as a judge said Meagan Fleming did not fill out the order's form.