'Sexually violent predator' pleads guilty in Longmont animal cruelty case

May 13—A man accused of abusing his girlfriend's cats and dog and then fleeing the state has taken a plea deal in his case.

Nathaniel Stark, 27, pleaded guilty Friday in Boulder District Court to aggravated cruelty to animals and failure to verify location as a sex offender.

Stark, a court-designated "sexually violent predator," is facing up to four years in prison for the animal cruelty charge as the plea agreement did not include any sentence stipulations.

One other felony count of aggravated animal cruelty and three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty were dismissed as part of the agreement.

Stark pleaded guilty virtually from the Boulder County Jail, and is now set for a sentencing hearing on Aug. 5 following a pre-sentence investigation and psycho-sexual evaluation.

He is also being screened for possible acceptance into community corrections.

According to an affidavit, in 2019 Stark's then live-in girlfriend in Longmont owned two cats, Toby and Xander, and a dog, Caidee. In October 2019, Stark's girlfriend found Xander the cat had an injury that she initially believed was caused by the dog.

The same cat was taken to the vet again later that month with injuries Stark said were caused by the dog, but vets noted the injuries did not appear consistent with a dog attack.

In November 2019, Xander the cat was found with torn hind nails and a cut on its face that Stark said was caused by the cat getting into a blender in the cabinet.

Later that month, Xander was taken to an animal hospital and died. A necropsy found the cat died from either head trauma or suffocation, and found several new and old fractures that led to vets calling animal control for suspected abuse.

The other cat, Toby, also died in November of unknown causes, reportedly just a few days after Stark stepped on it.

In February, Stark's girlfriend found the dog, Caidee, had trouble defecating and had blood in her urine and trouble standing. A vet found bruising between her hind legs "which appeared to be caused by trauma commonly seen in abuse."

The animal cruelty count Stark pleaded guilty to names Xander the cat as the victim.

While the case was pending, Stark failed to appear for a Jan. 6, 2021, hearing and failed to register. He was later located and arrested in Indiana, according to police.

Stark was deemed by the courts to be a "sexually violent predator," a designation given to sexual offenders who are considered a high risk to reoffend.

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