A Golden man was sentenced to 22 years in prison Friday for assaulting three homeless men in 2019, according to the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Roger Coderre, 53, was convicted of two counts of first- and second-degree assault with a deadly weapon causing serious injury and three counts of felony menacing with a weapon, in addition to attempted influence of a public servant and attempted second-degree assault with a deadly weapon.

“One of our office’s greatest priorities is to aggressively prosecute those who target vulnerable people in our community and this was definitely one of those cases,” said Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Rhoads. “The judge’s sentence is appropriate and we hope that it provides a sense of justice to the victims and community.”

The attack happened on June 12, 2019, near Jackson Street and 14th Street in Golden, the attorney’s office said.

Coderre approached two homeless men walking along the sidewalk and repeatedly hit them with a metal baton while verbally harassing them, according to police. Both men needed multiple staples in their heads as a result of the attack.

During the investigation, police discovered Coderre had assaulted another homeless man with a baton in a nearby church parking lot on Jan. 5, 2019. During the attack, Coderre told the victim, “get out of my Golden,” and “if I see you again, I’ll kill you,” police said.

Though Coderre wore a mask during both attacks, he was connected to the incidents using surveillance footage of his vehicle, the attorney’s office said.

An investigator on the case received an anonymous phone call claiming the victims were trying to trick the police. While being questioned, Coderre admitted to making the call himself and also made derogatory comments about homeless people, police said.

Coderre had previously been arrested several times for charges including theft, harassment, robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm, driving under the influence and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, according to public records.

A Jefferson County jury found Coderre guilty of the nine assault-related charges on Aug. 5, 2021, the attorney’s office said. He will serve his sentence in the Colorado Department of Corrections.