Nathaniel Stark was sentenced to 12 years in the Department of Corrections for animal abuse.
In Jan. 2018, Stark was sentenced to 10 years of Sex Offender Intensive Supervision Probation and was designated as a sexually violent predator by the Colorado court system after being convicted of aggravated incest on a family member younger than 10 and three counts of sexual contact without consent, according to a December Facebook post from police that announced he was staying in Longmont.
After moving in with his girlfriend in Aug. 2019, she began noticing that her animals were showing signs of injuries, according to a news release from the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. Within three months of him living at her residence, two of her cats had died. Veterinarians later concluded that one of the cat’s deaths was due to consistent head trauma and strangulation, the news release states.
In Feb. 2020, Stark beat the woman’s dog leaving a “significant amount of bruising between the dog’s hind legs,” the news release states. The dog was immediately removed from the residence.
In Oct. 2020, Stark was arrested for violating his bond for having contact with animals. While the cases were pending, Stark fled the state and was later located in Indianapolis. He was extradited back to Colorado.
“An astute citizen was able to provide a tip which allowed law enforcement to locate him,” Robin Ericson told the Leader in March, 2021. “We cannot thank this incredible community enough for their assistance in being additional eyes and ears.”
In May 2022, Stark plead guilty to one count of aggravated cruelty to animals — a class 6 felony — and to sex offender failing to verify location charges.
The court imposed a 12-year sentence on Stark in state prison, the news release states.
“The defendant’s abuse of his partner’s animals in this case was just one act of violence in his criminal history. It is important to take these cases seriously as they involve victims who have no voice and are often used as coercive controlling tactics in a domestic violence relationship. We are pleased with the sentence that the Court imposed and want to thank our law enforcement partners for the exceptional investigation in this case,” stated Deputy District Attorney Jenny McClintock in the news release.
