Mollie Kathleen Mine Slated to Reopen after Tragic Accident

 

Local Law Enforcement News

Trevor Phipps

Just over three months after a death at Cripple Creek’s Mollie Kathleen Mine made national headlines, the case has officially closed from a law enforcement perspective.

Moreover, the attraction, which has operated locally for years, can legally reopen, according to state and local regulators. Sill, the case has triggered a barrage of unanswered questions.

When the incident occurred last October, it was the talk of the county and state with many wondering exactly what took place on that tragic day that cost mine tour guide and local resident Patrick Weier his life.

The mine accident not only took the life of a beloved local, but caused a serious law enforcement scare when 12 other tourists were stuck 1,000 feet underground for several hours prompting a state-wide recovery mission. Nearly a week after the incident, the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety issued the mine’s owners a cease and desist order to halt tours and all public access to the mine until an inspection and review of the incident could be conducted.

Then earlier this month, the Teller County Sheriff’s Office reported that three different state agencies had completed their safety inspection of the October incident last December. “The inspection looked at the mine’s ground control, inspection and training records, ventilation, fire prevention and control, communication systems, personnel hoisting mechanisms and procedures, and other safety and health requirements,” according to an agency press release. “The inspection, while covering the mechanisms involved in October’s incident, was comprehensive to the entirety of the operation.”

In the end, the state’s mining inspectors found that the tourist mine met all of the requirements under the “Regulations for the Mine Safety and Training Program for Tourist Mines.” State officials further contended that “no imminent or substantial danger to the public or employees exists.”

The sheriff’s office also said that they concluded their investigation into Weier’s death. “Additionally, the investigation by the Teller County Sheriff’s Office determined to have been operator error not attributed to current mine practices or equipment malfunctions,” the press release stated. “The case has been closed as an accidental death.”

The sheriff’s office went further to report that the state’s cease and desist order placed on the Mollie Kathleen Mine following the October incident has since been repealed. The mine is now able to reopen of the 2025 tourist season which begins sometime in March. At press time, the Mollie Kathleen Mine Website still said the tourist attraction was closed until further notice