Serial Predator Pleads Guilty to Exposing Himself, Attacking Female Hikers on Jeffco Trails

The man who terrorized numerous female hikers in a string of sexual attacks last summer has pleaded guilty to three charges related to the incidents.

Glenn Braden, 21, pleaded guilty to one count each of attempted sexual assault, unlawful sexual contact and indecent exposure, the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday, August 8. Fourteen other counts against Braden were dismissed as part of the plea deal.

Braden faces between four and twelve years to life in prison, with his sentencing scheduled for September 30. He has remained in custody since he was arrested in August 2023.

Between April 3 and August 8, 2023, Braden repeatedly targeted women hiking along Jefferson County trails. He exposed himself to multiple victims — sometimes while completely naked — masturbating in front of them and at times groping them. In one particularly violent attack, he grabbed a woman and attempted to rip her clothes off, subsequently tearing her bra in half, according to investigators.

Eleven victims were named in connection to Braden's indecent exposure charge, three for unlawful sexual contact and one for attempted sexual assault, according to the District Attorney's Office. The attacks occurred along trails in Flying J Ranch Park, Alderfer/Three Sisters Park and Genesee Mountain Park.

Braden reportedly told police that he went after female hikers "at least once a week, and often more times than that," explaining that he's had a "compulsion to masturbate" since he was nine years old, according to his arrest affidavit.

Braden's mother told Westword that he "has mental health issues that need to be addressed," though he was found competent to stand trial. Braden lived with his family in Evergreen during the attacks and worked as a line cook, frequently hiking on his days off.

The first known incident happened on April 3, 2023, when Braden fondled himself in front of a woman hiking alone and groped her butt, according to investigators. On May 3, he approached another woman while completely naked except for athletic shoes and masturbated in front of her.

Similar sightings were reported on June 13 and July 11, with Braden reportedly asking the victim in the latter incident to aid in his masturbation, offering to pay her when she told him to get away. On July 18, he approached three women in a single day, groping two of them.

His behavior escalated on July 24, just one day before his twentieth birthday, when Braden attempted to tear off a victim's clothing, ripping her shirt down from the front collar and tearing her bra. His final reported attacks occurred on August 8, when he exposed himself to two female hikers in separate incidents before being apprehended by law enforcement later that day.

"The trail system in Jefferson County is a safer place to be because this guy is in custody," Jefferson County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley said following Braden's arrest.