ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. — An Aurora investigation into a child who was solicited by adults for sex ended in prison time for the man who exploited her, but those who worked closely on the case believe Colorado must do more to ensure similar resolutions in future cases.
Kennedy Allen, 23, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to a charge of pimping of a child on Oct. 31, 2025.
“The defendant in this case literally sold a minor into sexual slavery. That's what this was. This was human trafficking in its worst form, taking a minor and putting her out on the street and selling her into sexual slavery," 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason told Denver7. “Human trafficking is a real problem, and it is happening here in Colorado.”
He believes Colorado law is too weak to address human trafficking — but a new bill aims to change that.
Supporters say the proposal being considered inside of the Colorado State Capitol, Senate Bill 26-015, will better address the way similar cases are treated, while opponents fear it could entrap those who are coerced into the crime.
Mason, along with others who worked on Allen's case, said it highlights the need for such a change in Colorado law.
The case against Allen began on Sept. 13, 2024, when the Aurora Police Department’s (APD) Direct Action Response Team, also called DART, began an undercover operation near E. Colfax Avenue and N. Clinton Street, according to the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Officers saw a girl of unknown age — identified as the victim in this case — standing on a corner in revealing clothing and engaging with drivers "in ways consistent with attempted prostitution," the district attorney's office said. The officers knew she had been reported missing a few weeks earlier, on Aug. 20, 2024.
The driver of a black Toyota Prius pulled up to the girl and she entered the vehicle. The officers, who believed "an active prostitution transaction was taking place," intervened.
APD's DART unit and Gang Intervention Unit investigated this case. In addition to record checks, they found surveillance confirming Allen had threatened the victim if she refused and was benefiting from her exploitation. They also took witness statements. APD investigators obtained information from Allen's phone, which included social media accounts, and communications to arrange locations and pricing for commercial sexual exploitation.
The victim said in an interview with APD that she was coerced and manipulated by Allen, who controlled and limited her ability to leave the situation, the district attorney's office said. The officers involved in her interview noted signs of trauma that are consistent with sexual exploitation and trafficking.
Officers also recognized the victim as a runaway, which made her more susceptible to human traffickers, explained Joseph Sullivan, sergeant with APD's Internet Crimes Against Children & Human Trafficking Unit.
"Human traffickers, pimps are extremely good at understanding human nature," he said. "So, when they target somebody, a runaway is extremely susceptible to being brought in by them because they are missing something. Maybe they're missing a feeling of love or a feeling of belonging, or maybe it's a monetary thing that they're coming from a position of poverty and they need something to help them survive. They come in contact with human traffickers, pimps that are extremely good at understanding human nature and filling that void.”
Denver7 asked Sullivan why the adult who solicited the child for sex was not arrested.
"Generally, our focus on these situations when we're in the moment and the night of is identifying the child victim. In this case, we knew that the child was under the age of 18. We knew that she was reported missing and a reported runaway," Sullivan said. “That was our focus was identifying what was happening. And connecting her with services, making sure that she's safe, and getting her to a place that can help her move forward. And sometimes, we focus so much on that, that we just didn't charge the John in this situation.”
The evidence APD collected led them to identify Allen as a gang member and confirmed he was the adult who had been recruiting, directing, transporting and profiting from the girl's commercial sexual exploitation, the district attorney's office said. The prosecution believes he "was selling children for commercial sex to generate profits for his gang," the DA's office added.
Allen was arrested, and took a plea deal for one charge of Pimping a Child, a Class 3 felony. At that time, he was on probation after previously pleading guilty to a charge of possession with intent to manufacture or distribute a controlled substance.
He pleaded guilty to pimping of a child in October 2025. On Wednesday, Allen was sentenced to 20 years in the Department of Corrections.
Jenelle Goodrich, founder of the organization From Silenced to Saved, worked closely with the victim on this case. Her organization, which partners with government agencies to support services for survivors of human trafficking, had helped the girl in the past. They responded immediately to the case.
"I knew this minor, and still know this minor, from previous situations that had come up from being a high-risk youth with lots of vulnerabilities, prevention work, things of that nature," Goodrich explained to Denver7's Colette Bordelon.
Goodrich said it was helpful to have somebody else in the room with the victim who was not in law enforcement, since victims are taught to believe police are the "bad guys." At the same time, fear keeps them from fleeing from the person holding them.
“Generally, survivors and victims are afraid to come forward because they're afraid of retaliation," she said. "And they're afraid that maybe their case won't see the end and actually get justice, or they might be labeled a snitch and retaliation comes from that.”
The victim did not want to show her face and instead spoke through advocates during the court process, she said, adding that this case is an instance where the criminal justice system did not retraumatize the victim by making her testify in front of the defendant.
"It shows that other victims that are out there that have not come forward yet, that they can still do that and it won't all be on their shoulders," Goodrich said. "It's not their burden to bear.”
Sgt. Sullivan explained that the APD builds cases like this one through digital data with the goal of collecting enough evidence to not require the victim's presence in court.
“Digital data is probably the biggest time consumer in investigations, and being able to go through it thoroughly enough to gather the evidence that we need, but not the stuff that's irrelevant, and trying to figure that out, is extremely challenging," he said. "We're trying to bridge the gap and understand the victim-centered approach of working with victims to help them through the process and not just hammer them to arrest our way out of this."
“When we have the opportunity in a case to protect a victim and not retraumatize them, that's always a priority for us, and digital evidence often helps with that goal, no matter the age of the victim," Mason said.
In cases where defendants do not plead guilty and want to take the case to trial, Goodrich said her organization will be there to continue to support the survivors as they prepare to testify in front of their alleged abusers.
Goodrich is leading the charge to pass SB26-015 in the Colorado legislature this year, a bipartisan proposal that would require courts impose a mandatory minimum prison sentence of four years for offenses that involve commercial sexual activity with a child, including solicitation for child prostitution and pimping of a child, which are Class 3 Felonies.
"A lot of offenders are getting probation as opposed to jail time," Sullivan said. "This idea of sentencing someone to prison time really sends the impact of 'We're serious. We don't want our children victimized.'"
The legislation also adds a stipulation that a person can be found guilty of soliciting commercial sex from a child if they "knowingly" arrange a meeting with that intention.
In addition, if an offender uses the internet with the intent to meet a child and engage in commercial sexual activity, the offense will become a Class 3 felony and is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence.
Finally, the bill strikes the phrase "child prostitution" from Colorado statute, replacing it with "commercial sexual activity." Supporters claim the current terminology is outdated and implies a minor can choose to engage in such acts.
The proposal has faced push back in the Capitol, with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) asserting that the legislation would perpetuate mass incarceration, while allowing prosecutors to use the threat of a mandatory minimum sentence to impact the outcome of plea negotiations.
In addition, a prevailing concern is that victims could be charged for the acts they were coerced into doing as a result.
Still, Goodrich believes the legislation would close what she sees as a loophole in the law — ensuring defendants like Allen receive prison time.
“It's time to decide who we are standing next to, and whether that's children that have been victimized, or whether that's offenders that are victimizing them," said Goodrich.
SB26-015 passed out of committee in February, and heads to the Appropriations Committee next.
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