A suspected child predator who fled the country while he was awaiting trial in Colorado has been arrested in South America.

Bobby Stark, 52, was arrested in El Paso County in April 2022 after a “lengthy and complex investigation” that began in October 2020, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said.

Stark was initially held without bond but was given a $25,000 bond at his first court appearance and bonded out on May 2, 2022. He pleaded not guilty on June 3, then disappeared, KKTV reported.

“Bobby Stark fled the country after bonding out of jail and his whereabouts were unknown for several months,” the sheriff’s office said. “A recent tip led officers to believe Stark had been hiding in Guyana, South America.”

Investigators furthered pinned down Stark’s location, and the Guyana Police Force Criminal Investigations Department arrested him on May 12.

El Paso County said the investigation to find Stark was a collaboration between the Guyana Police Force, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the US Diplomatic Security Service, with assistance of the US Marshals Service.

Stark is currently in federal custody, the sheriff’s office said, and will be returned to Colorado Springs to face charges related to sex assault on a child (multiple counts), retaliation against a witness or victim, intimidation of a witness or victim, bribing a witness or victim, and child abuse (multiple counts).

Court records say the incidents took place between January 16, 2019, and February 23, 2022, KKTV said.

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[Featured image: Bobby Stark/Pikes Peak Area Crime Stoppers]