Washington, United States — A babysitter trying to reassure a child there was no monster under the bed was horrified to in fact find a man hiding there, police in the US state of Kansas said.

The 27-year-old suspect, who previously lived at the address but was barred from visiting by a restraining order, fled the home near the city of Great Bend on Monday night and was arrested the next day.

Barton County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday the incident unfolded as the babysitter was putting the children to bed and one "complained there was a 'monster' under the bed."

"When the victim attempted to show the child there was nothing under the bed, she came face-to-face with a male suspect who was hiding there," it said in a statement.

The sheriff's office added that a child was knocked over in a struggle between the babysitter and the man, who left the house before being arrested in the same area the next morning.

The man, named by police as Martin Villalobos Junior, was detained on several requested charges including kidnapping, burglary, battery and child endangerment.

He was held in Barton County Jail subject to a $500,000 bond, the sheriff's office said.