Registered sex offender arrested for allegedly attempting to abduct child from school playground in Colorado
On Friday, a registered sex offender was caught on security camera attempting to abduct a student at an elementary school in Aurora, Colorado.
The suspect, 33-year-old Solomon Galligan, was subsequently tracked down by police and taken into custody on suspicion of second-degree kidnapping.
According to 9News, the incident took place shortly before 2:30 pm at Black Forest Hills Elementary. While children were playing on the field, Galligan allegedly walked up to them, appearing to target one in particular.
He tripped over the blanket he was carrying, then got up and continued his pursuit. As he lunged towards them, they ran away screaming “stranger danger” to alert an adult. At that point, Galligan fled the scene, heading east.
Police arrived on scene a short time later, and were provided with a description by the child Galligan had appeared to target. They noted that he had dreadlocks and smelled like alcohol.
Galligan was located at a Walgreens a short time later, and apprehended. He is currently being held at the Arapahoe County Jail on $25,000 bond, and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
A dive into Galligan’s past by investigative journalist Andy Ngo revealed that aside from being convicted on a charge of nonconsensual sexual contact in 2011, the suspect went to cosmetology school and had, at one point, identified as transgender.
“so im starting my hormone shots and i relly cant wait im on my hormone pills ive been on them for almost 4 months,” Galligan wrote in a Facebook post in 2011. “i wake up all depressed and crying but in the end its gonna be totally worth it you know what io mean im really excited my measurements are already changing and im super thrilled.”
Photos from Galligan’s Facebook page.
In the years since, Galligan has posted numerous pictures wearing wigs and makeup, with friends referring to him as “girl.”
The last update was posted to his account in 2018, and it is unclear whether he still identifies as a woman. Media reports have all referred to him as a man.