AURORA, Colo. – Prosecutors in Colorado’s 18th Judicial District have announced they will drop charges against 33‑year‑old Solomon Galligan — a registered sex offender accused of attempting to kidnap an 11‑year‑old boy from the playground of Black Forest Hills Elementary School in April 2024 — after a mental competency evaluation found him unfit to stand trial.
Surveillance video from the school captured Galligan chasing and lunging at a student during recess, then grabbing at him as other children fled in terror.
Fortunately, the young boy managed to wriggle free after Galligan tripped over a blanket he was carrying.
Galligan, who had a white, powdery substance on his face and reportedly reeked of alcohol, was arrested at a nearby Walgreens, charged with attempted kidnapping, and held on $25,000 bail.
Despite the evidence against him, prosecutors say they have no choice but to drop the case after the evaluation deemed Galligan mentally unfit to stand trial.
FOX31 Denver continues:
After the incident, parents of students at the Aurora Elementary School wrote a 10-page letter and petitioned it to the Cherry Creek School District leaders, calling for an independent investigation into the school’s response when the alleged crime took place.
Cherry Creek School District held an investigation, which lead to a change in leadership and additional security measures for the elementary school.
The leadership change followed revelations that the school failed to enter lockdown following the kidnapping attempt.
Other reforms include enhanced security procedures, increased patrols, prioritizing mental health support for affected students, and options for indoor recess as a safe alternative.
Without charges, Galligan will be released outright — unless the court orders involuntary mental health treatment, which requires a separate legal process.
Colorado officials previously struggled to find an available state psychiatric bed for him — even as his own family fought to keep him in a hospital or long-term mental health facility.
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Lawless blue state. Sympathy for the perp, nothing for the victim.