AURORA, Colo — A man accused of trying to grab a child during fifth grade recess at Black Forest Hills Elementary School earlier this year has been found incompetent to proceed in the criminal case against him, according to court documents.
Solomon Galligan, 33, is facing charges of attempted kidnapping and misdemeanor child abuse in connection with the April 19 incident at the elementary school on Glasgow Drive in southeast Aurora.
Galligan, who is a registered sex offender, was arrested later that day.
On Thursday, a judge ruled Galligan is "incompetent to proceed" in the case against him. He was committed to the custody of the Colorado Department of Human Services for treatment directed toward restoring competency.
When the suspect went onto elementary school property on April 19 and tried to grab a child, the other children ran and yelled "stranger danger!" according to an arrest affidavit.
Surveillance video shows the suspect walking up to children in a field. A few seconds later, the children were seen running after he lunged toward them, the affidavit said.
The video shows that as the children ran, the suspect attempted to grab one of the students. The child ran away after the suspect tripped over a white blanket he was carrying. He got up and continued toward the child, according to the affidavit.
In April, the school district shared video of the incident.
A Cherry Creek School District spokesperson said after the incident that the district had retrained all Black Forest Hills staff in safety protocols and added additional district security at the school. They also added more security for outdoor events until the end of the school year.
Earlier this year, Galligan's family told 9NEWS systemic failures had repeatedly allowed Galligan back on the streets, leading him to pose a threat to himself and society.
According to his family, Galligan was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder at 16. His family said Galligan has been in and out of jail for 12 years, with previous charges including assault, burglary and sex crimes.
Sarah Galligan, his older sister, 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 article includes previous reporting by Rhea Jha.