JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — The suspect accused of exposing himself in front of lone women on multiple Jefferson County trails in the spring and summer of 2023 pleaded not guilty on Monday afternoon.
In a Jefferson County courtroom Monday, Glenn Thompson Braden IV, 20, of Evergreen pleaded not guilty to several felonies, including four counts of unlawful sexual contact - force/threat and one count of attempted sexual assault, and multiple misdemeanors, which include nine counts of indecent exposure. Lastly, he pleaded guilty to criminal mischief.
A disposition hearing was set for Aug. 8 and a pre-trial conference was scheduled for Aug. 19.
Braden was charged in the summer of 2023 after allegedly confronting women and committing lewd acts multiple times at Flying J Ranch Park, Alderfer/Three Sisters Park and Genesee Mountain Park (the Beaver Brook Trailhead location).
The first incident was reported on April 3, 2023 and the final two both happened on Aug. 8, 2023. He was arrested on the evening of the latter.
He told Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) investigators following his arrest that he would never purposefully hurt somebody, but "he felt compelled to commit these sexual acts in the presence of women" and he could "not help his compulsion," according to an 11-page arrest affidavit.
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Jeffco suspect felt 'compelled' to do sexual acts in front of women, docs say
Braden is suspected in the following incidents, as described in his arrest affidavit (times indicate when the incident happened or when the report was made):
- April 3, 2023, 3:24 p.m.: A JCSO deputy responded to Flying J Ranch Park. A victim said she had been running on the trails when a naked man slapped her behind and ran past her. While the slap did not hurt, she said it startled her and she took some time to compose herself before taking out her phone and recording a short video.
- May 4, 2023, 9:54 a.m.: A park ranger reported that an unknown person had reported seeing a naked man at Flying J Ranch Park, specifically on the Shadow Pine Loop near the Apache Springs neighborhood access.
- June 13, 2023, 6:50 p.m.: Two deputies responded to Alderfer/Three Sisters Park after an incident of indecent exposure was reported. A victim told the deputies she was hiking with her new puppy around the trail to Brother Lookout when somebody approached her from ahead. She stepped off the trail to let him pass when she noticed he was fully nude. He approached her, touching his genitals. She stumbled and fell into a sitting position as he kept moving toward her. He ran away when she yelled for help. She described his posture as "aggressive."
- July 11, 2023, 5:30 p.m.: A woman said she went for a hike around the Shadow Pine Loop trail at Flying J Ranch Park. About a quarter-mile from the parking lot, she saw a naked man walking toward her on the trail. The woman reported that he was holding his half-erect penis in his right hand and as he neared her, asked, "Could you touch me, please?" She replied, "Get the f*** away from me" and started walking faster toward her car. She heard him say, "I'll pay" as she walked away. When she looked back, she said the man was not following her. She told deputies she had seen the male earlier on her hike and he was fully clothed at that time.
- July 18, 2023, 6 p.m.: A victim reported an indecent exposure incident at Flying J Ranch Park, saying she was around the top of Shadow Pine Loop riding her bike with her friend when a man stopped in front of them, pulled down his pants and "began performing 'illicit acts' on himself in front of them." He continued to do so while the woman and her friend rode away.
- July 18, 2023, 7:10 p.m.: A deputy responded to a report of unlawful sexual contact at Flying J Ranch Park. A woman told the deputy that she had been hiking on the trails and stopped to take a photograph. As she stood still, a person came up behind her and slapped her butt, the affidavit reads. She was startled and initially thought it was one of her friends, but when she turned around, she saw a man she did not know. He asked, "Do you wanna f***?" and she responded "What the f***?" before he turned and ran away, according to the affidavit.
- July 18, 2023, 8:28 p.m.: A deputy was called to Flying J Ranch for a report of unlawful sexual contact. The deputy spoke with a woman who said about five to 10 minutes before she had called 911, she was half a mile up a trail when she ran into hikers who warned her that there was a naked man masturbating in the park. The woman said she decided to hike in the opposite direction from where the man reportedly was, but as she neared the end of her hike, a man came up behind her and grabbed her behind. The man continued running down the trail and did not say anything during the encounter. He was not nude. The woman said she had seen him in the park multiple times in the past month.
- July 24, 2023, 8:16 p.m.: A woman said she was walking along the lower east side of Johns Landing Trail between two parking lots at Flying J Ranch Park when she heard somebody jogging behind her. She stepped off the trail to let the person pass, and the man smacked her behind. When she turned, she saw a naked man masturbating in front of her. The woman remembered saying, "Nope," and turning to walk away. She said the suspect hit her behind again and tried to rip down her shorts, but she fought to keep them on and then the suspect started to rip her shirt from the front collar. She called for help, catching the attention of two mountain bikers, who rode over to help. The suspect ran into the woods. After this, signs went up at local parks warning visitors of the suspect.
- Aug. 8, 2023, 6-6:30 p.m.: A woman said she saw a man walking toward her on the trail near the Beaver Brook Trailhead, across Interstate 70 from Genesee Mountain, and stepped aside to let him pass, saying, "Good evening." As he approached, she saw the waistband of his pants was around his knees. His left hand held up the side of his pants while he stretched his right arm toward her backside. She yelled, "No!" and walked away, checking behind her often to make sure he was not following her. She did not have cell service. After going some distance, she said she "screamed in anger," and warned everybody she passed. She said he knew another woman was on the trail behind her, so she did not walk too far.
- Aug. 8, 2023, 6 p.m.: A woman said she saw the suspect walking toward her and noticed the man's waistband was around his knees. She called him a "f***king idiot" and continued to walk. She turned around to look at him after passing him and saw he had stopped and was masturbating. He said, "You're hot," before she continued walking away from him as fast as she could, she told investigators.
Following his arrest, Braden was initially charged with multiple misdemeanors in connection with the incidents. However, he was later charged with several felonies.
Jefferson County Judge Keith Goman set his bond at $100,000 cash-only after he was formally charged.
