A registered sex offender accused of trying to snatch a child from a Colorado elementary school is about to walk free—and parents are furious.
Prosecutors in Colorado say they’re dropping charges against 33-year-old Solomon Galligan after a mental health evaluation declared him incompetent to stand trial. Galligan was arrested back in April 2024 for attempting to kidnap an 11-year-old boy during recess at Black Forest Hills Elementary School in Aurora.
Aurora police confirmed that Galligan, already listed as a sex offender with Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, was caught on surveillance footage chasing the boy across the playground while other terrified children scrambled to safety.
“It’s super scary to watch,” said Dante White, a father whose son was near the scene. “Especially seeing the perpetrator, the pictures of him. I would be freaked out if that guy touched me. It was an attempted kidnapping.”
Prosecutors Say Their Hands Are Tied — But Families Want Accountability
The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, which covers Arapahoe County, notified FOX31 that they will formally request dismissal of the charges because Galligan was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial.
Let that sink in: A grown man, already on the sex offender registry, caught on camera lunging at a child on school grounds, and he’s about to be released because he “can’t go to trial.”
Prosecutors emphasized that their decision wasn’t about guilt. The attempted kidnapping is on video. The man chased a child. Parents saw it, kids lived through it, and the community felt it.
But without competency, the legal system hits pause. And that pause, for many, feels like injustice.
Parents Demand Change After School’s Response Sparks Backlash
The situation didn’t just end with Galligan’s arrest. The aftermath exposed how unprepared the school was—and parents weren’t having it.
After the attempted kidnapping, families at Black Forest Hills Elementary sent a 10-page letter to Cherry Creek School District demanding an independent review. They weren’t just asking questions—they were demanding action.
That pressure led to the removal of school principal Amanda Replogle.
“The information obtained through this investigation has led us to decide that we need to make an administrative change at Black Forest Hills,” the district told FOX31. “We are making that change now so that we can move forward with the final weeks of the school year in a positive and productive way.”
But for some parents, that change felt like too little, too late.