ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — An Arapahoe County deputy district attorney expressed frustration Monday that a man suspected in multiple armed robberies of gas stations in Aurora had his charges dismissed after he was found incompetent to stand trial.
A judge last week dropped the charges against Ross Woessner, 21, who was accused of robbing multiple gas stations over a seven-month period — including the same station five times. Woessner was released back into the public, according to the district attorney’s office.
“It is hard to understand that once again, in Arapahoe County, as well as in other parts of the state of Colorado, a dangerous felon is walking out of jail with cases dismissed, without any ability to supervise that person, without any ability to give that person a mental health services, without any ability to protect the community from someone who the law deems incompetent,” Arapahoe County Deputy District Attorney Ryan Brackley told Denver7 Investigates on Monday.
An arrest affidavit for Woessner notes he was apprehended in March. He robbed a Shell gas station in the 3300 block of South Tower Road on five separate occasions between July 2024 and February 2025. In all instances, he entered the store and brandished either a gun or a knife and instructed the clerk to step away. Then he would take a variety of items ranging from vape products to cigarettes to beer.
His other alleged robbery occurred at a 7-Eleven in the 18800 Block of East Hampden Avenue. The arrest affidavit states he went to that location after employees of the Shell station saw Woessner approaching and locked the doors.
The affidavit also listed that Woessner had an intellectual development disability. Courts records show he was found incompetent at a hearing in late September.
Woessner has a criminal history in Denver as well. In 2023, he was arrested on robbery charges. That case was dismissed. He’s also charged in an assault case in April.
This is the second case in Arapahoe County in recent months to get media attention after a judge dismissed charges against a defendant after they were found incompetent to proceed in the case and would not be restored in the near future.
In August, Solomon Galligan, who was accused of trying to kidnap children outside an Aurora elementary school in 2024, had their charges dismissed after being found incompetent to stand trial.
Denver7 Investigates has covered the complexities of Colorado’s competency law for more than a year. A language change in 2024 requires judges to dismiss charges against defendants who are found incompetent to proceed and not restorable. Prior to the change, judges had more discretion.
- We spoke to the Arapahoe County District Attorney in July to better understand the intricacies of Colorado's competency law. You can watch our reporting in the video player below:
Cases ranged from those committed to a mental health hospital — such as Galligan and Ross McPherson, who was accused of stabbing a Lakewood doctor in 2022 — to those who walked free, like Guillermo Ramirez, who was facing vehicular homicide charges from a 2021 accident that killed two people and seriously injured three others, including himself.
This variability has been a source of frustration for Brackley.
“When the law changed, I think there were the best intentions all around,” Brackley said. “But it created this loophole where when a case is dismissed by the court, there's no way to ensure civil commitment for dangerous people. There is no way to ensure a smooth transition back to a secure facility where someone can get mental health resources.”
Victims and family members of victims who watched as the charges against their alleged assailants were dropped have already taken action to try and amend the law, meeting with lawmakers and Gov. Jared Polis, with hope changes could come early next year.
Brackley would support those changes.
“Under the law, it doesn't matter what the crime is. It could be murder, it could be a misdemeanor, it could be a dangerous, violent crime like this. Under the law, if someone is found to be incompetent, the court has to dismiss that case,” he said. “This DA's office, as well as other DA's offices, are working hard to change the law.”
