BRIGHTON, Colo. — A man who pleaded guilty in the 2022 kidnapping of a 10-year-old girl in Thornton will spend nearly a decade in prison for the crime, a spokesperson for the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
Diego Gettler, 30, was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in the Colorado Department of Corrections for the kidnapping that occurred outside STEM Launch in Thornton.
On the morning of Sept. 23, 2022, Gettler, dressed in all black and wearing a mask, approached the young victim shortly after she was dropped off at school. Prosecutors said he forcibly grabbed the girl and attempted to restrain her in what appeared to be an attempted abduction, but the girl fought back, pulling the mask he was wearing, which caused him to flee. The girl quickly ran to the school doors for help and staff quickly responded.
Surveillance footage from the school and surrounding areas captured critical moments before, during, and after the attack, prosecutors said.
The footage showed Gettler’s vehicle—a 2008 Saturn Aura—circling the area before parking nearby. He was then seen approaching the school, walking toward the girl, and ultimately committing the attack. He fled the scene after the victim resisted, stumbling as he ran back to his vehicle.
An extensive investigation soon followed, and police were able to arrest Gettler after his parents came forward to police. He was arrested in Parker about three days after the attack.
Gettler pleaded guilty on Jan. 9, 2025, to second-degree kidnapping and second-degree assault of a Peace Officer in an unrelated case from April 2022.
Crime
Affidavit: Parents lead police to Thornton attempted kidnapping suspect
When the crime occurred, the Defendant was on bond for four criminal matters in Jefferson and Adams Counties, prosecutors said in a news release Tuesday. Gettler's only criminal convictions at that time were for misdemeanor criminal mischief and leaving the scene of an accident involving injury.
Gettler was also linked to a 2020 incident in Lakewood where he was questioned and released in an attempted sexual assault case. He was released and never charged.
Prosecutors said he now has three misdemeanor convictions for third-degree assault, and convictions for harassment and second-degree assault on a peace officer - heat of passion.
“The defendant’s actions here were truly unspeakable and outrageous,” said District Attorney Brian Mason in a statement. “We can only imagine the evil intent this man had were he to have fully succeeded in completing his plan. Thankfully, this young girl’s courage and quick thinking won the day. Her strength, along with the relentless dedication of law enforcement, helped secure accountability for this defendant’s dangerous crime.”
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