A spokesman from the Arapahoe County District Attorney’s office told Fox News affiliate KDVR-TV on Friday that the DA plans to dismiss charges against a registered sex offender who allegedly tried to grab an 11-year-old child during recess outside Black Forest Hills Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado, in April 2024.
Solomon Galligan, 33, is charged with one count of attempted kidnapping.
KDVR reported they’d previously learned from Aurora police that “Galligan is a sex offender, whose registry is linked to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office.”
The DA’s office told KDVR that after his arrest, Galligan underwent a competency evaluation and was later deemed incompetent.
As a result, a spokesman from the DA’s office told the media outlet last Friday they are “planning to drop charges against the defendant, which is required by law when they are found mentally incompetent to stand trial.”
In a Monday statement to The Washington Times, the spokesman said, “Bottom line: When a defendant is found incompetent to proceed, we are legally obligated to dismiss charges. Our hands are tied based on the findings of competency.”
The Times reported:
The DA’s office said Galligan will be civilly committed to mental health treatment upon his release, but the terms of his sentence were only shared in court….Court records said Galligan has a 2011 conviction of nonconsensual sexual contact, and a 2012 conviction for failure to register as a sex offender. He also asked the court to refer to him with she/her pronouns during his initial appearance last year.The DA’s office said the suspect’s mental competency has been raised in past court cases outside of Arapahoe County.
The incident was captured by the school’s security cameras and released to the public following Galligan’s arrest.
In the video below, the suspect, presumably Galligan, can be seen lunging at a boy on a playing field. The boy escapes and runs to the others who have already fled. The boy later said Galligan smelled like alcohol and had white powder on his face.
KMGH-TV, ABC News’ Denver affiliate, reported that, according to a probable cause statement, “the children yelled ‘stranger danger’ as they ran toward the teacher assistants on the field.”
Shortly after Galligan’s arrest last year, several members of his family spoke to KUSA-TV to provide some details about his background. When Galligan was 16, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
His family said Galligan left the family home for good when he was 18 and for the past 12 years, he’s been in and out of jail. “Previous charges includ[ed] assault, burglary, and sex crimes.”
His niece, Amanda Morris told KUSA, “He was known for acting out, making impulse decisions, running away… not knowing where he was going.”
Except for the times Galligan was in custody, they never knew where he was. His older sister, Sarah Galligan, explained, “Every six months that we find him in the jail system, we’re happy he’s there, because then he’s not out on the streets.”
Sarah learned from her father about the April 2024 incident. She told KUSA, “It just really sucks he had to do something so eye-catching for everybody to see he’s not well, and he’s not okay to be out and be on his own.”
According to KUSA:
Sarah described the familiar routine of his past arrests: Galligan would be deemed incompetent to stand trial due to his mental health, but a shortage of beds in mental health facilities meant he couldn’t be treated or institutionalized. Consequently, he would eventually be released back into society, only to repeat the cycle.”This has been like the fourth time that we’re sitting here thinking, How the hell did he get released? Who’s letting him out?” Morris questioned, highlighting the family’s frustration with the system.
But what happens if, as has occurred in the past, there is still a shortage of beds in local mental health facilities? If this man is released without proper supervision or treatment, he could pose a serious threat to the community. Rather than simply dismissing the charges, he needs to be closely monitored and, if necessary, institutionalized to protect public safety.
I suppose that’s not District Attorney Amy Padden’s problem.
Below is a photograph of Padden, who is responsible for this foolish decision. According to the Times, campaign finance records show she received approximately $40,000 in donations from billionaire George Soros last year. It may not sound like much, but in a district attorney race, $40,000 goes a long way.
As they say, “If you take the King’s shilling, you do the King’s bidding.” Apparently, Padden understands this concept very well. The Times reported on Padden’s “sweetheart deal to a 15-year-old illegal immigrant who killed a woman in a high-speed crash last summer.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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