ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — Two teens were cited this week with trespassing for breaking into an abandoned missile silo near Deer Trail last month, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
The teens, who were only identified as 18 year olds by the sheriff’s office, were cited for second-degree criminal trespass, a petty offense, for breaking into the abandoned missile silo in early May.
Six other teens will also face trespassing charges, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said.
The teens allegedly broke into the abandoned missile silo, located near 82000 E. County Line Road 22, sometime before 3 a.m. on May 5. Once inside, one of the teens fell through a two-story shaft and down the underground complex, landing onto twisted metal, broken concrete and stagnant water at the bottom.
The teen was freed from the silo just before 9 a.m. and airlifted to the hospital with serious injuries.
State News
What is a missile silo? There may be more of them in Colorado than you thought
There are six former Titan I missile complexes in Colorado, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The Titan I was a 98-foot-long, two-stage missile and was designed to carry nuclear warheads.
The Colorado Titan missile sites were decommissioned and the missiles removed in 1965. They have been sitting abandoned for more than 50 years.
The other abandoned silos in Colorado are on the former Lowry Bombing and Gunnery Range east of Aurora, where four silos are located. The sixth one is located south of Elizabeth.
The CDPHE said it has been working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate and clean the complexes, some of which have elevated levels of PCBs.
