Vail employee allegedly slept with minor in Glenwood Springs
Glenwood Springs Post Independent
The man charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution in Glenwood Springs is a Gypsum resident and worked for the town of Vail for more than 24 years, the Glenwood Springs Post Independent has learned.
Ronald Braden, 53, appeared in Garfield County District Court Wednesday on bond, and was released with a court protection order prohibiting him from having contact with children under 18 years of age.
Judge Denise Lynch of the 9th District also ordered Braden to remain in Colorado, unless granted permission to travel from the court, according to case documents.
Braden had led information services for the town of Vail since he was hired in June 1994, most recently holding the title of director. Braden’s employment with the town of Vail officially ended Monday, a spokesperson for the town said, and he was placed on leave Oct. 24.
Braden’s charges are included in a larger Colorado grand jury indictment handed down Oct. 22, alleging a prostitution ring operated out of the former Plaza Inn, which is no longer in business, in north Glenwood Springs.
The indictment charges Damara Hester, 25, and Dasjuan Goode, 30, of transporting two juveniles to Glenwood Springs in July 2017 and holding them at the hotel before driving at least one of the juveniles to a sex buyer’s home to perform acts of prostitution,” the indictment said.
Braden allegedly was one of those who engaged in the activities during that time. The pair put ads for the two minors online and exploited them sexually for money, according to the indictment.
On at least one occasion, Hester and/or Goode “took advantage of the minors held in the hotel. According to the indictment, Braden “met the juvenile at a hotel/motel in Glenwood Springs and paid money to engage in sexual intercourse with her.”
He is charged with four felony counts, including soliciting for child prostitution, pandering of a child, patronizing a prostituted child and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
A defense attorney for Braden, Alaurice Tafoya-Modi, said “Mr. Braden looks forward to addressing the allegations in a court of law.”
Hester remains in custody at the Garfield County Jail with bail set at $50,000. Goode was arrested Oct. 25 and is currently being held in Brighton with bond set at $100,000, according to Adams County Sheriff records.
Ninth District prosecutors have filed to have Goode transferred from the Adams County Jail to face the charges in Garfield County, Assistant District Attorney Ben Sollars said.
Aspen Police Department, Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office search for man suspected in robbery on Smuggler Mountain Road
Local authorities are searching for a man who reportedly held a woman at knifepoint and robbed her on Smuggler Mountain Road Monday morning, according to a Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office news release.