Man accused of making mass shooting threats in Colorado mountains facing separate felony drug charges

A man accused of planning to carry out a mass shooting at a popular Colorado ski resort is also now facing multiple charges related to fentanyl distribution that resulted in the deaths of two Steamboat Springs residents.

Nathaniel 'Nathan' Zabik, 44, of unincorporated Breckenridge, was arrested by the Summit County Sheriff's Office earlier this month after he allegedly made threats to commit a mass shooting at the resort in Facebook posts and private messages. The Steamboat Springs Police Department said on Monday that Zabik is part of a group of people who allegedly sold fentanyl that killed two people in Steamboat Springs.

Steamboat Springs police say Zabik, along with Benjamin Tabor, 48, of Avon, and Matthew Bentley, 37, of Riverbank, California, sold fentanyl that later killed at least two people. All three now face multiple charges, including distributing fentanyl resulting in death, which police described as "the most severe drug felony under Colorado law." 

If convicted, the suspects face a sentence of eight to 32 years in prison. If charged and convicted federally, that charge carries a possible sentence of 20 years to life in prison.

Steamboat Springs police say they identified the suspects after a months-long investigation, but "out of respect and compassion for the victims' families, their names are being withheld." The suspects were identified and arrested by a task force comprising multiple agencies across Colorado and the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office in California.

In Zabik's case regarding the alleged threats against Breckenridge Ski Resort, he faces the following charges:

• 2 counts of inciting destruction of life or property, a class 6 felony
• 2 counts of menacing with a weapon, a class 5 felony
• 2 counts of harassment, a class 2 misdemeanor

He's being held in the Summit County Detention Facility on a $25,000 cash-only bond.