Missile silo teens cited on trespassing charges

The May 5 case is now closed, sheriffs said.

Two 18-year-olds were cited on charges of second-degree criminal trespass after one of them fell three stories into a missile silo in Deer Trail at 3:30 a.m. May 5.

Six other people involved in the incident will also face trespassing charges, but they will be filed through district court because they are juveniles. The trespass counts are a petty offense according to the Arapahoe County Sheriffs office.

The eight teenagers were hanging out at an abandoned missile silo on private land when at least one of them fell 30 feet and landed somewhere inside the concrete structure, which is built into the side of a hill. That teenager was airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital with severe injuries. Nothing is known about that person’s condition today.

The group had gained access by crawling through a broken gate at the entrance of the silo, the sheriff’s office said at the time.

After a two-hour search, rescuers heard the screams of multiple teenagers. One of them was escorted out of the silo, while another teen stood by the side of his seriously hurt friend. They were located down under a pitch black shaft, which was inaccessible without a ladder or ropes, according to the Sable Altura fire department

Arapahoe County Sheriffs spokesperson Ginger Delgado called it a “dangerous” and a first-of-its-kind “incredible rescue.”

The silo complex 2B DO45 is a Cold War leftover, one of six Titan 1 missile complexes in Colorado which are no longer functional.

The 18-year-olds were not named by the Arapahoe County Sheriffs office. The department said that the case is now closed.

An 18-year-old man has been cited for trespassing after he was airlifted to the hospital. He fell 30 feet down an abandoned missile silo in east Arapahoe County on Sunday, May 5 near Deer Trail, Colorado. (Arapahoe County Sheriff Photo)
An 18-year-old man has been cited for trespassing after he was airlifted to the hospital. He fell 30 feet down an abandoned missile silo in east Arapahoe County on Sunday, May 5 near Deer Trail, Colorado. (Arapahoe County Sheriff Photo)
FILE PHOTO: Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office and area first responders conduct a rescue mission May 5 after a teenager fell 30 feet inside an underground missile silo near 82000 E. County Road 22 in Deer Trail. (Courtesy photo, Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office)
FILE PHOTO: Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office and area first responders conduct a rescue mission May 5 after a teenager fell 30 feet inside an underground missile silo near 82000 E. County Road 22 in Deer Trail. (Courtesy photo, Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)

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