Following reports that a transgender sex offender entered the school without incident and attempted to abduct an elementary school student during playtime, parents in a Colorado town are furious.
CCTV footage that CBS News was able to get shows a man, who police suspect to be 33-year-old Solomon Galligan, approaching the kids at the Black Forest Hills Elementary playground on April 22 in the afternoon.
The Daily Mail claims that after Galligan’s 2011 conviction for “nonconsensual grabbing, caressing, or groping another’s private body parts,” he attempted to seize a kid who appeared to be a possible victim but fled.
After tripping and falling over a towel, the accused predator lunged toward another youngster, according to an affidavit from Aurora Police.
Galligan left the campus after the children started screaming “stranger danger,” according to witnesses who spoke to the police.
“He smelled of booze and had white powder on his face,” according to the youngster the guy reportedly rushed toward.
Galligan documents a gender change in social media posts from 2011, according to the publication.
A post said, “So I am starting my hormone shots, and I truly cannot wait since I am on my hormone tablets and have been for over 4 months.”
“I wake up all unhappy and sobbing, but you know what? It is going to be absolutely worth it in the end.” I am very excited—my measurements are already changing, which makes me very happy.”
Galligan appears to be wearing light, powder-like makeup in old pictures.
Shortly after the event, a parent saw the suspected trespasser in a nearby Walgreens, which resulted in his arrest.
Galligan reportedly claimed to have been the victim of an assault and requested to be taken to a hospital when police contacted him in the store.
Law enforcement discovered through a background check that he was a registered sex offender.
Under a $25,000 cash bail, Galligan was taken into custody on a charge of second-degree abduction at the Arapahoe County Jail.
Parents at Black Forest Hills Elementary School are dissatisfied with campus security and the faculty’s knowledge of safety, despite the fact that he is currently off the streets.
The parents were naturally astonished when they saw the CCTV tape for the first time on Monday during a school meeting.
“While we hope kids exaggerate a little bit, the video there clearly depicts what was said. It was challenging. It was rather difficult, Dante White remarked.
Although school administrators have apologized, White thinks more action is necessary to prevent this from happening in the future.
He stated, “We wanted a couple of things that we prescribed done.” “We want individuals fired; we want people placed on administrative leave; and we want an impartial inquiry into it.”
According to CBS News, a number of parents have also asked for “safety training, a new fence surrounding the school, and more monitoring technology,” the Daily Mail said.
Video: Watch man lunge at child in attempted kidnapping? at a Colorado school https://t.co/ZOroDc6PKb pic.twitter.com/dHOgLAsCrH
— CBSColorado (@CBSNewsColorado) April 30, 2024
As a parent, this is something you are afraid of. They are taken care of by adults who should be qualified experts, but they aren’t. They all utterly failed,’ White continued.
“We want accountability,” we said.
Officials from the Cherry Creek School District stated that an inquiry is underway.
“We are doing a comprehensive inquiry. We are examining both the specific events that occurred and their aftermath. Representative for the district, Lauren Snell, stated, “We place a great focus on safety.”
