Jeffco trail predator suspect Glenn Braden told deputies he exposed himself to women while high, naked

The man who has been arrested and accused of assaulting several women on hiking trails in Jefferson County told investigators that he "purposely exposed his genitals to women" while hiking the mountain park trails. The arrest affidavit details the alleged assaults by Glenn Braden that are being investigated by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. 

Braden, 20, was arrested after deputies said he exposed himself at Stapleton Park near the Beaver Brook Trail just after 6 p.m. Tuesday. He is facing charges of multiple counts of unlawful sexual contact and indecent exposure. Investigators are working on finding more victims connected to this case.

According to the affidavit, Braden told deputies that he lives in Evergreen with his mother after moving to Colorado two years ago. On his days off from the restaurant where he works as a line cook, he said that he likes to go hiking in the mountain parks around Evergreen including Bergen Park, Genesee Mountain Park and Alderfer/Three Sisters. Deputies said he also admitted to hiking at Flying J Ranch Park. 

Braden told deputies that he would hike the mountain park trails and "purposely expose his genitals to women he met along the way." He also told investigators that "he didn't remember much of what happened during these episodes because he would get very high on marijuana before hiking." He also admitted to masturbating in front of some of the women. Braden told deputies that the women reacted with disgust. 

He also told deputies that "he might have hiked naked a few times but didn't specifically remember when." Braden also admitted to "coming up behind them and possibly slapping them on the buttocks with his open hand" but didn't try to remove any clothing from them. He also "admitted to asking some of them if they would help him masturbate."

According to the arrest affidavit, he said while he would never do anything to purposely hurt someone, "he felt compelled to commit these sexual acts in the presence of women" and that he "could not help his compulsion."

During the interview with deputies, he identified himself as the male in the images from the Flying J Ranch Park on Aug. 1 taken by one of the victims. 

Investigators believe Braden is the same suspect wanted in a series of similar encounters targeting lone female hikers beginning on April 3 at Flying J Ranch Park in Conifer. Over the next few weeks, the suspect struck again on June 13 at Three Sisters/Alderfer Park, and on July 11, three times on July 18 and July 24 and Aug. 1 at Flying J Ranch Park.

Deputies said that a gold 2004 GMC Sierra pickup truck with Colorado license plates was captured in surveillance on Aug. 1 at Flying J Ranch Park with a male, matching the suspect description in the trail assaults, getting out of the vehicle. That same vehicle, registered to Braden, was observed at the same parking lot on Aug. 8, the day Braden was arrested. 

Several victims described similar assaults, with either a naked male matching Braden's description or a male with his shorts or pants pulled down to expose his genitals, approaching them or slapping them on the buttocks, sometimes masturbating at the same time. One victim described the assault as starting with a slap and then the suspect grabbed and ripped the victim's clothes. Others describe the suspect as trying to grab them as they ran away.

Investigators say they are not releasing a mugshot just yet because they plan to do a photo lineup with some of the victims.