Authorities in Colorado have announced they are going to drop charges against a registered sex offender accused of trying to kidnap a boy at an elementary school in Aurora.
Per Denver7, authorities said that on April 19, 2024, surveillance footage showed the suspect, identified as Solomon Galligan, 34, trying to grab a boy who was playing on a field outside Black Hills Elementary School.
The boy was playing with other children, and they took to their heels after Galligan approached them, police said. The suspect was in possession of a white blanket and in a blue hoodie as well as dark pants at the time.
And though Galligan was ultimately charged with kidnapping and child abuse, authorities announced they’re no longer going to pursue the case because a doctor in June determined that the suspect was incompetent to be prosecuted.
“… by state statute, we are required to dismiss charges in the case,” Eric Ross, a spokesperson for the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, said.
READ ALSO: Rapper Desiigner must register as a sex offender after masturbating on plane
Though Galligan is linked to four criminal cases in Colorado, one thing has always come up, and that is competency. In his kidnapping case, the arrest affidavit stated that Galligan, in 2011, was found guilty of nonconsent sexual contact, and he had to register as a sex offender.
A Colorado law amended last summer stipulates that judges are to drop cases when it is determined defendants are incompetent and unrestorable, Denver7 reported. But though the case is going to be dismissed, the District Attorney’s office is adamant that Galligan will not be a free man when it ultimately happens.
“… the defendant will be civilly committed for mental health treatment. Contrary to what has been reported, the defendant is not being released out in the public,” Ross emphasized.
Under Colorado law, a “civil commitment” can also be referred to as an “involuntary mental health treatment.” The Colorado Office of Behavioral Health states that civil commitments do not go beyond a year. But that’s all up to the procedure.
READ ALSO: Convicted NYC rapist released only 2 months ago reportedly charged with new sex crimes