GOLDEN, Colo. (Mar. 17, 2026) – Bradley Wilson has been sentenced to six years in the Department of Corrections, followed by a mandatory three-year term of parole, after pleading guilty in the attempted abduction of a nine-year-old girl at a Lakewood grocery store in June 2025.
Just before noon on June 21, 2025, Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a Safeway located at 5025 S. Kipling Parkway on a report of an attempted abduction.
According to the investigation, Wilson approached a woman and her nine-year-old granddaughter inside the store, placed his hands on the child’s shoulders, and began guiding her toward the exit after stating he was going to “borrow” her. He moved the child several feet before stopping when the grandmother intervened and alerted store staff.
After being forced out of the store, Wilson returned shortly afterward and again approached the child, leaning into her face and asking if she wanted to leave with him. He fled the scene in a red sedan after being confronted by store management.
Deputies used Flock camera technology to identify and track the vehicle to the area of Willow Springs Road and U.S. Highway 285, where Wilson was located and taken into custody. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
On February 17, 2026, Wilson pleaded guilty to:
Criminal Attempt to Commit Second Degree Kidnapping (F3), C.R.S. 18-3-302(2), (3)(c); 18-2-101
As part of the plea agreement, the parties stipulated to a Department of Corrections sentence ranging from 4 to 8 years.
At sentencing on Monday, Deputy District Attorney Kelsey Einhorn argued for the maximum sentence under the plea, emphasizing the lasting impact on the child and her family.
“Because of the defendant’s actions, she no longer feels safe,” Einhorn said. “A routine trip to the grocery store, something we all do, became a traumatic experience that shattered her sense of security. He did not leave after the first attempt; he returned and tried again. That conduct is both alarming and telling of his intent.”
The defense argued that Wilson was experiencing a significant mental health crisis at the time of the offense.
In imposing a six-year sentence, District Court Judge Meegan Miloud stated that the sentence appropriately addresses public safety concerns, and the lasting impact on the nine-year-old victim. “This was a very, very scary event for her,” she stated.
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