An El Paso County man is in federal custody after authorities say he fled the country to elude felony charges of sexual assault on a child.

Bobby Allen Stark, 52, escaped to the South American country Guyana while out on bond ahead of a jury trial last year. Stark was first arrested in April that year in connection with what the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office called a “lengthy and complex investigation” into alleged sex crimes against a juvenile.

Stark faces two felony charges of sexual assault on a child, one of which specifies a pattern of repeated abuse, for which he bonded out in May 2022 on $25,000 — and disappeared. Court records show Stark failed to appear at his jury trial in October 2022.

For months, Stark’s whereabouts were not known to law enforcement. A $1,000 reward was offered in March for information, and it was a tip that eventually brought the search to Guyana, according to the Sheriff’s Office. 

Local Guyana officials arrested Stark Friday, and he was escorted back to the U.S., where he remains in federal custody. The Sheriff’s Office said Stark will return to Colorado Springs to face his charges.

Charges related to his escape have not been announced.

“The United States Embassy thanks the Government of Guyana, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Guyana Police Force for their commitment and determination in maintaining the rule of law and ensuring foreign fugitives do not seek or find refuge in Guyana to avoid prosecution,” the U.S. Embassy in Guyana wrote in a statement.