District attorney pushes for change amid attempted kidnapping case in Aurora

Community members in Aurora are voicing concerns over a controversial case involving a suspect accused of trying to kidnap a child at school. Now, 18th Judicial District Attorney Amy Padden is speaking out for the first time about the case and the possibility that it may be dismissed.

"My goal here is to try to get some legislative changes to make sure this never happens again," said Padden.

Last April, a suspect was caught on video chasing and trying to grab a child on a school playground.  Police later arrested 34-year-old Solomon Galligan for allegedly attempting to kidnap a child.

The suspect had a history of charges dating back to 2012, some of which were considered violent offenses. Case after case, he was deemed mentally incompetent. He'd also previously failed to register as a sex offender.  

The district attorney's office reports that it has received approximately 1,400 calls and emails from families and community members regarding this case.

"As a community member, I'm very concerned. That video is concerning," said Padden.  

Padden, however, says her hands are tied, and as CBS Colorado has previously reported, the court is poised to dismiss Galligan's charges in this latest case.

"It is frustrating that our hands are tied by the way the state law is," said Padden.

In a one-on-one interview with CBS Colorado, Padden says Galligan went through four separate mental incompetency evaluations between July 2024 and April 2025.

In all but one, Galligan was deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial and could not be restored to competency.

In a fourth evaluation, the suspect was found competent to stand trial, but would lose competency over the course of a trial.

"If someone is in that mental state, they should not be released, in my view, under any circumstance," said Padden.

However, Padden says the law limits that kind of discretion.

Previously, state law said the court "may" dismiss charges in a case where someone is found mentally incompetent to stand trial. Now, the latest statute that went into effect last year says the court "shall" dismiss the case.

"We are ethically obligated to follow state law. We're continuing to review the case to see if there's a basis for objection, but if there is no basis for objection, we won't have any choice. The case will be dismissed by the court," said Padden.

In this case, Galligan's prior cases helped the prosecution get a civil commitment order, so that Galligan is not released into the public after this case is dismissed.

Instead, the suspect, currently being housed at the state mental hospital in Fort Logan, will be moved from the forensic ward to the civil commitment ward. There will be a review every 90 days to determine if Galligan is no longer a threat to themselves or to the public, which means there is no time limit as to when the suspect could be released.

"The intent is not to hold someone indefinitely, the intent is to hold someone and get them treatment," said Padden.

However, Padden says this is just one in a number of cases in the state where mental incompetency comes into play, and she says there is concern that others will continue to slip through the cracks of the system.  

"It's my understanding the legislature had anticipated there would be additional civil commitment resources available, but those resources haven't materialized," said Padden.

Her goal moving forward is to try and work with lawmakers to find a way that prioritizes addressing mental health before someone commits an offense, or fund more beds to treat these individuals if and when cases must be dismissed.

"I would like to see some changes to the state statute," said Padden. "We either need resources available or we need more discretion in the court to be sure that people who have severe mental illness and have committed a crime aren't just getting released with no consequences," said Padden.