Colorado girl fights back against would-be kidnapper in clown mask, police say

A 56-year-old man in Colorado has been charged with attempting to kidnap an eight-year-old girl from her bedroom while wearing a clown mask, according to authorities.

Police in Sterling, Colorado, announced in a recent press release that they have charged Thomas Gallegos with first degree burglary, second degree assault, second degree attempted kidnapping, third degree assault and child abuse after he allegedly broke into the girl’s home and tried to abduct her.

On 15 October, police responded to a report at 2.30am about a home invasion and attempted child abduction in the 300 block of Walnut Street, Sterling police said. The suspect probably entered and exited the home through the back door, which may have been unlocked, according to an arrest affidavit reviewed by 9 News.

The girl told police that the suspect entered her room, blindfolded her and grabbed her out of bed, 9 News reports. When the girl woke up, she fought back. Gallegos then allegedly hit her on her head, leaving her unconscious as he fled the scene. The girl then gained consciousness and ran to her mother’s room to alert her about the attempted kidnapping.

The girl had a contusion to her right eye and a laceration on the back of her head which required staples, 9 News reports. A clown mask and a pair of gloves were also found in her bedroom.

Police were able to identify Gallegos through security video and location data from the girl’s phone which he took, the affidavit said. It added that the girl’s mother told police that Gallegos lived in the neighborhood and had helped install a washer and dryer in her home the previous weekend.

In an interview with police, Gallegos’s wife confirmed that it was her husband in the security video that was recorded near the girl’s home around the time of the reported break-in, 9 News reports. Gallegos’s wife said that the mask belonged to their grandson, according to the arrest affidavit.

Following Gallegos’s arrest, Sterling police said: “The Sterling police department wishes to thank the community for their assistance in taking a dangerous predator off the streets. There are no other suspects associated with this crime and no continued threat to the community.”