JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said on Wednesday that deputies arrested a 20-year-old man accused of being a "high-profile sexual predator" targeting women who were hiking.
Deputies responded around 6:25 p.m. Tuesday to the 27500 block of Stapleton Drive after receiving a call from a woman who was hiking in Stapleton Park near Beaver Brook Trail.
>The video above is from July 25.
She reported encountering a man wearing a grey T-shirt and green sweatpants who exposed himself and began masturbating, the Sheriff's Office said.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Glenn Braden of Evergreen, reportedly then exposed himself to another woman hiking by herself, and he also tried to grab one of the two women before she got away, the sheriff's office said.
After a search of more than two hours, deputies were able to find Braden hiding in the woods wearing the same clothing described to investigators. He was taken into custody after running away.
Braden was booked into the Jefferson County jail on suspicion of three counts of unlawful sexual contact, and five counts of indecent exposure.
Investigators believe Braden is the same suspect who was wanted for a series of similar sexual encounters targeting lone women hiking.
The incidents began April 3, and allegedly continued over the next few months at Flying J Ranch Park near Conifer and Alderfer Three Sisters Park in Evergreen:
- April 3 - The naked suspect approached a female hiker and groped her.
- June 13 - The naked suspect confronted a female hiker and began masturbating.
- July 11 - Incident reported at Flying J Ranch Park.
- July 18 - the suspect approached three different women in one day. He fondled two, masturbated and talked in a sexual manner.
- July 24 - The suspect approached a female hiker as he masturbated, grabbed her and attempted to rip off her clothing.
The sheriff's office said Braden's booking photo is not being released at this time due to pending photo lineups with multiple victims.
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