Arapahoe County prosecutors are expected to drop all charges against a registered sex offender who was caught on camera attempting to abduct a child from an elementary school playground—citing mental incompetence.
Solomon Galligan, 33, was arrested in April 2024 after allegedly trying to snatch an 11-year-old boy from the playground at Black Forest Hills Elementary School in Aurora.
Despite video evidence of the incident, prosecutors say Galligan has been deemed mentally unfit to stand trial and cannot be prosecuted. Instead, he will receive mental health treatment.
🚨BREAKING: Security footage shows the moment 33-year-old Solomon Galligan, a registered sex offender, allegedly tried to kidnap a child from a Colorado elementary school last month. pic.twitter.com/osRT25wj8q
— Crisis in the Classroom (@CITClassroom) May 2, 2024
“When a defendant is found mentally incompetent to proceed and is being civilly committed for mental health treatment, we are legally obligated to dismiss charges,” said 18th Judicial District Attorney spokesperson Eric Ross.
Ross said his office does not intend to release Galligan into the public, but instead plans to transfer him to an undisclosed mental health facility to complete his rehabilitation.