News |
[email protected]
A Breckenridge man arrested on charges related to an accusation of threatening a mass shooting sent messages to another person that stated he planned to target Breckenridge, according to an arrest affidavit.
Deputies arrested Nathaniel Zabik, 44, around 3 p.m. Jan. 7 after receiving reports from two individuals and the Federal Bureau of Investigation identifying him as a risk to himself and others. Zabik appeared in court Jan. 9, where Summit County Court Judge Robert Gregory set his bond at $25,000 cash only.
One report came from a person who told law enforcement they saw Zabik post messages on social media indicating he wanted to kill others and himself. Another report came from a person who messaged with Zabik on Facebook Messenger on Jan. 7 and shared screenshots of the messages with law enforcement. In the messages, Zabik stated he planned to kill people “at the resort” and, around 1:45 p.m., stated he had “2 hours left,” according to the affidavit.
Deputies responded to Zabik’s residence around 1 p.m., the affidavit stated, and monitored him. The affidavit stated deputies saw him walk by his front door while wearing a backpack around 2:50 p.m. before carrying three trash bags “with unknown items inside” to his car. Zabik got in his car and drove away from his residence, the affidavit stated, and deputies pulled him over when he passed them. They arrested Zabik without incident, according to the affidavit. The affidavit did not mention if law enforcement found weapons on Zabik’s person or in his vehicle.
The affidavit stated deputies took Zabik to the Summit Medical Center to be medically cleared, and while there Zabik allegedly said “One of the ways I reach out for help is just saying things to get attention.”
In a description of the inciting destruction charges on which Zabik was arrested, the affidavit pointed to specific messages he sent on Facebook Messenger. In one message referenced, Zabik reportedly wrote that “it’s real lives that will be taken, and I’m so excited and proud to do it.” The description of the charge also references a message where Zabik reportedly wrote, “Getiing my plan formulated to kill as many ppl as I can,” and another that stated he was “loading clips and eating pills.”
The affidavit also mentions Zabik referencing Breckenridge and “the resort” in his messages multiple times, stating he wanted to die and making reference to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting from 2012, where a gunman killed 26 people.
“No one will ever forget, make sandy hook which was fake anyway look like a vacation,” Zabik wrote in a message included in the affidavit.
Zabik leaving his residence within the “two-hour timeframe he declared” further substantiated his plan, according to the affidavit.
In describing the two menacing charges on which Zabik was arrested, the affidavit points to messages in which Zabik stated he was “Fully prepared packed loaded up and leaving to the selected spot rn!!”
Other messages in the screenshots included in the affidavit show Zabik writing that, with “no cops at the resort,” he would be able to “kill so many ppl” before law enforcement could get to him. He wrote that he could not wait until “they get me,” but he planned to take “as many with me as I can.” In that message, he referred to killing people and having police kill him as his “life mission.”
Messages stated Zabik hated “life, everything and everyone in it” and that he planned to “take revenge on everyone I possible can” in one message.
“I will have the record for most deaths by a single individual and I have it all planned out,” Zabik reportedly wrote.
In messages included in the affidavit, Zabik reportedly stated he “got the ok to execute my destiny” and wanted people to “feel the pain” he feels and “ruin as many lives as possible.”
Zabik referenced politics in his messages, writing that President Donald Trump is “the only good person” and that “There all liberals here, they deserve to die anyway.”
“Today is execution day, and I can’t wait,” Zabik wrote.
Zabik claimed to have been “clean for years” in the messages after the other person asked what kind of pills he had taken. The person who reported posts they saw Zabik make on social media told deputies that he had a “history of substance abuse” and may be able to access firearms, according to the affidavit.
In court Jan. 9, deputy district attorney Rachael Frazer called Zabik a “habitual” criminal offender, stating he committed as many as 20 crimes in Oklahoma and had been accused in Routt County of distributing fentanyl.
A criminal record check for Zabik through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation showed no arrest record in the state outside of his Jan. 7 arrest. A criminal record check for Zabik through the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation returned over 30 arrests in the state spanning from 2003 to 2024 and 13 instances of bench warrants being issued due to Zabik not complying with court orders. The document stated that Zabik is a convicted felon.
Frazer said that it seemed like the only time Zabik has not been committing crimes since 2003 has been while he was in jail. She said he has a history of not appearing in court and violating court orders, giving her office no reason to believe he would now comply with orders or not commit further crimes if released on bail. Frazer said the prosecution asked for a $20,000 cash bond because Zabik poses a “major” community safety risk.
Christopher Claypool, a public defender who represented Zabik in the court hearing, asked Gregory for a $2,500 cash surety bond, which he said was the standard for the level of felony charge against Zabik. Gregory agreed with the prosecution that Zabik presented a public safety concern and said that an elevated bond was appropriate before setting the bond at $25,000 cash only.
Zabik is scheduled for another court appearance at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 20.
As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.
Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.
Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.
This position is responsible for creating newspaper page dummies and flowing classified ads for all Swift publications. Entry level. DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITY…
Job Description: Reporting to the Assistant Dean of Instruction, the Academic Coordinator supports and coordinates a wide variety of campus…
The Summit Daily News, located in the heart of the Colorado mountains, is seeking a reporter to cover high school…
Job Description: Primary Responsibility Under the supervision of the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, the Academic Advisor II and Access…
Employment Opportunities Summit County Government is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. To view a list of our employment opportunities, review…
The Municipal Court Clerk coordinates and administers the operations of the Municipal Court for the Towns of Silverthorne, Dillon and…
Sign up for daily and breaking news headlines.
Jobs
Classifieds
Place Legal Ad
Search Legal Ads
Autos
Real Estate
Rentals
Service Directory
Pets
Merchandise
Farm and Ranch
Recreation
Place Legal Ad
Search Legal Ads
Announcements
Contact us
About us
Submissions
Submit an Obituary
Submit an event
Submit a request to update a crime story
Summit Daily archive
Magazines
Newsletters
Summit Daily E-Edition
Summit County Journal
AP News
Cookie List
Do not sell my personal information
Commercial Print Sales
RSS
Work for us
Aspen – Snowmass
Craig – Moffat County
Glenwood Springs – Rifle
Steamboat Springs – Routt County
Vail – Eagle County
Winter Park – Granby – Grand County
Printing Press Jobs
©2005 – 2026 Swift Communications, Inc.