Parents of students at Black Forest Hills Elementary School in Aurora are demanding an independent investigation into the school’s response to the attempted kidnapping of a child last week. A group of parents penned a letter to the Cherry Creek School District superintendent and board members calling for an immediate review of the incident that they wrote, “raised serious concerns about the safety of our children while under school care.” Aurora police arrested Solomon Galligan, a 33-year-old man and registered sex offender, about three hours after he allegedly went to the school on Friday, an ..read more

A 49-year-old Castle Rock woman was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide in the deaths of a mother and son in a 2022 drunk-driving crash on Interstate 25. Michelle Denise Branch will serve 21 years and six months in the Colorado Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. Amber Villarreal and her 18-year-old son, Elijah, were changing a tire on the shoulder of northbound I-25 the night of Oct. 12, 2022 in Douglas County, with a Colorado Stat ..read more

An 11-year-old boy was reported missing in Denver on Wednesday, according to a Denver Police Department post on X. Ivan Villalobos was last seen in the area of West Evans Avenue and South Bryant Street in the College View neighborhood around 11:45 a.m. Wednesday. He is Hispanic and is 4 foot 11 and 110 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes, police say. Ivan was last seen wearing a gray polo T-shirt and black sweat pants with white and black shoes. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | San Luis Valley man sentenced to 12 years in prison for threatening judges, extortion Crime and Public ..read more

A San Luis Valley man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for extortion and threatening judges in multiple counties on Wednesday, according to a news release from the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. Brett Andrew Nelson was arrested in Gunnison on Feb. 15, 2023, for various felony counts of criminal extortion, retaliation against a judge and attempt to influence a public servant as well as stalking, forgery and other charges. In a statewide grand jury in April 2022, Nelson was found guilty of 20 out of 24 charges for committing extortion and threatening several judges, law enforcement offic ..read more

A 21-year-old Denver man was arrested for child sex assault, human trafficking, soliciting child prostitution and other charges Wednesday by Larimer County sheriff’s deputies. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | Feds search Sean “Diddy” Combs’ properties as part of sex trafficking probe, AP sources say Crime and Public Safety | Colorado considers mandatory minimum prison sentences for human traffickers Crime and Public Safety | Opinion: If Congress won’t act, Colorado can regulate harmful social media Deputies arrested Ivan Banuelos Gandara on suspicion of human trafficking of a mi ..read more

A video purporting to show the brother of Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic punching a fan after the Nuggets’ game vs. the Los Angeles Lakers has gone viral on social media. The TikTok video posted following the game at Ball Arena displays text that says, “Jokic brothers going wild,” with a flushed-face emoji. It shows two men in the stands scrambling to get to another man, and as someone yells “beat him” and shouts an expletive, one of the men, wearing a Jokic jersey — who fans identified as Nikola Jokic’s brother Strahinja Jokic — punches the man sitting lower in the stands. Related Articles ..read more

An Aurora school is closed Tuesday because of a break-in, according to the Aurora Police Department. A staff member reported the apparent burglary and vandalism at Aurora West College Preparatory Academy at 5 a.m., police say. Classes were canceled Tuesday for the police investigation and clean up, according to the academy. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | Social media video claims to show Nikola Jokic’s brother punching another fan at Monday’s game Crime and Public Safety | Indigenous teen girl reported missing after she was last seen at Durango High School Crime and Public Safe ..read more

A 33-year-old registered sex offender tried to kidnap a Black Forest Hills Elementary School student during recess Friday, according to an Aurora Police Department arrest affidavit. Solomon Galligan was arrested Friday evening, just over three hours after he allegedly walked onto school grounds holding a white blanket and tried to kidnap a child. Aurora police responded to a suspicious incident at the school — located at 25233 E. Glasgow Drive — at 2:22 p.m. Friday, according to an arrest affidavit. School staff showed police security video of a man, later identified as Galligan, walking up to ..read more

The Regional Transportation District’s police officers will start working some areas overnight for 24/7 coverage beginning on May 5, the transit agency announced Monday. Officials stated in a news release that an increase in the hours that police will patrol is aimed at improving safety and security for RTD employees and customers, including those who use the buses or trains beyond regular business hours. RTD’s police officers currently work 5 a.m.-3 p.m. and 4 p.m.-2 a.m., according to agency spokesperson Tara Broghammer. “The introduction of an overnight team has been a priority for RTD-PD ..read more

Aurora park rangers rescued a person on Monday morning who had fallen into the Aurora Reservoir. Related Articles Crashes and Disasters | Brush fire in Eastern Arapahoe County is now out Crashes and Disasters | Wildfires burn at Air Force Academy, Fort Carson on Colorado’s second day of Red Flag warnings Crashes and Disasters | Car drives through Aurora home, causes gas leak Crashes and Disasters | Person trapped in garbage truck compactor rescued by Aurora firefighters A boat had capsized near 2800 East Reservoir Dam Road, landing a person in the water, the Aurora Fire Rescue stated on ..read more