UPDATE : CO 6 Yr old in a homemade balloon ...

[Jolie Rouge]

Update to http://www.bigbigforums.com/news-inf...e-balloon.html

No sign of boy said to have floated off on balloon
By P. SOLOMON BANDA and IVAN MORENO, Associated Press Writer
6 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – A homemade balloon aircraft floated away from a yard in Colorado after a 6-year-old boy was seen climbing inside, setting off a frantic scramble by the military and law enforcement before the balloon slowly touched without the boy inside.

It's not clear whether the boy fell out of the balloon or was never actually inside the craft. Sheriff's officials said from the beginning that he was in the balloon, and authorities feverishly searched for any sign of the child on the ground, including in the neighborhood where he lives.

The bizarre scene played out live on television as the balloon rotated slowly in the wind, tipping precariously at times before gliding to the ground after more than two hours in the air.

Cathy Davis of the Larimer County Sheriff's Department told reporters the balloon was owned by the boy's parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, and tethered behind the family's home. She said two sons were playing outside when the older boy saw the younger one, identified as Falcon, go into a compartment at the bottom of the balloon and fly away.

"We'll just have to respond the best we can," Davis said. "This is a first and we'll do what we need to do."

She said the family was in contact with experts to provide details on the craft, including what it's made of and what might happen when it reached the ground.

In a 2007 interview with The Denver Post, Richard Heene described becoming a storm chaser after a tornado ripped off a roof where he was working as a contractor and said he once flew a place around Hurricane Wilma's perimeter in 2005.

Pursuing bad weather was a family activity with the children coming along as the father sought evidence to prove his theory that rotating storms create their own magnetic fields.

Although Richard said he has no specialized training, they had a computer tracking system in their car and a special motorcycle.

The Colorado Army National Guard sent an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter and was preparing to send a Black Hawk UH-60 to try to rescue the boy, possibly by lowering someone to the balloon. They also were working with pilots of ultralight aircraft on the possibility of putting weights on the homemade craft to weigh it down.

But the balloon landed on its own in a dirt field. Sheriff's deputies secured it to keep it in place, even tossing shovelfuls of dirt on one edge.

Northbound departures at Denver International Airport were shut down as a precaution to prevent against a possible collision between the balloon and an airliner, said Lyle Burrington, an air traffic controller at the Federal Aviation Administration's radar center in Longmont, Colo.

Air traffic controllers warned planes in the area about the balloon, Burrington said. It helped that the day was clear, enabling pilots to see the balloon well, he said.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown said the agency tracked the balloon through reports from pilots.

"We were sitting eating, out looking where they normally shoot off hot air balloons. My husband said he saw something. It went over our rooftop. Then we saw the big round balloonish thing, it was spinning," said neighbor Lisa Eklund.

"By the time I saw it, it traveled pretty fast," she said.

The story gripped the television news networks, which set aside other programming to follow the balloon and speculate on the safety of the boy.

"It's got everybody freaked out," said Fox News Channel's Shepard Smith, "and why wouldn't it?"


Hot air balloon drama preempts Obama;
Update: Where is the boy?
By Michelle Malkin • October 15, 2009 03:05 PM
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/10/15...reempts-obama/

President Obama was on the tube when a truly breath-taking and horrible drama overtook him.

There’s a 6-year-old boy stuck in a homemade hot air ballon vehicle floating over the skies near Denver.

All cable stations have cut away to provide video.

Authorities are now trying to rescue him.

As a mother, I can’t bear to watch. Please pray for this little boy’s safety. Dear Lord.

Greeley Tribune: http://www.greeleytribune.com/articl...ntprofile=1001

An errant experimental aircraft attached to a helium hot-air balloon is racing uncontrollably through the Weld County skies today, reportedly with a 6-year-old boy alone inside.

The aircraft, a silver flying-saucer shape, launched from Fort Collins and has been sighted near Weld County roads 46 and 33, about 2 miles northeast of Gilcrest. More information will be posted as it becomes available.

***

UPDATES:

» At about 12:30 p.m., the aircraft was sighted near Weld County roads 32 and 39, about 7 miles east of Platteville, according to KOA.


» 12:55 p.m.: The aircraft is approaching Interstate 76 near the Keenesburg Cutoff, which is Weld County Road 49. This location is near Hudson, which is in south Weld County. 9News is reporting that the aircraft is at about 8,500 feet altitude.

Via Jeff Quinton: CNN reporting that officials fear boy may no longer be in the balloon.

3:20pm Eastern: Balloon rapidly losing helium. Has descended from about 8500 ft altitude down to 6500 ft.[/quote]

Couldn’t watch it any longer. Twitter abuzz with news that the boy is not in the balloon.

Which should be a relief, but isn’t.

Where is he?

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[Jolie Rouge]

Boy Believed to Have Been in Runaway Balloon Found

A massive hunt for a 6-year-old boy who was believed to have been trapped inside a flying balloon that crashed without him inside was found in his parents house, according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Department.

"He's been there the whole time," said a sheriff's department official."He was hiding in a cardboard box in the attaic above the garage."

The official said his parents were beisde themself during the search and believed the boy was in the balloon.

He said officials searched the house twice, but it wasn't clear if it included the garage.

Mystified authorities in Colorado had launched a ground search for the boy after the flying balloon he was believed to have been trapped in crashed without him inside.

A sheriff's official said the boy climbed into a box attached to balloon before it floated away from the family's home, but the basket was not found at the crash site.

The harrowing scene played out live on TV as initial reports that the child was in the flying saucer-shaped balloon, raising fears that he was in grave danger hurtling through the air at alarming speeds. Some eyewitnesses said they saw something drop from the balloon while it was still in the air, but the ground search had yet to turn up the boy as of Thursday evening.

Cathy Davis of the Larimer County Sheriff's Department told reporters the balloon was owned by the boy's parents and tethered behind the family's home. She said two sons were playing outside when the older boy saw the younger one go into a compartment at the bottom of the balloon and fly away.

The child was identified as Falcon Heene, the son of Richard Heene, a Colorado weather-chaser. The boy and his family — mother, Mayumi, and brothers, Ryo and Bradford — first appeared on the ABC series "Wife Swap" on Oct. 3, 2008 and were voted back for the 100th episode of the show, which aired on March 13, 2009.

Based out of Fort Collins, Colo., Richard Heene and his partners call themselves the "psyience detectives," the Denver Post reported.

Heene collects information to prove that rotating storms create their own magnetic fields, the newspaper, which went chasing storms with him in 2007, reported.

In 2002, Heene started with lab experiments and then moved to dust devils, according to the Post. Three years later, Heene flew a plane around Hurricane Wilma's perimeter, the newspaper reported.

In a 2007 interview with The Denver Post, Richard Heene described becoming a storm chaser after a tornado ripped off a roof where he was working as a contractor and said he once flew a plane around Hurricane Wilma's perimeter in 2005.

Pursuing bad weather was a family activity with the children coming along as the father sought evidence to prove his theory that rotating storms create their own magnetic fields.

Although Heene said he had no specialized training, the family had a computer tracking system in its car and a special motorcycle.

While the balloon was still airborne and the boy still feared inside, authorities scrambled for a way to rescue him. The Colorado Army National Guard sent an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter and was preparing to send a Black Hawk UH-60, possibly to lower someone to the balloon. The Guard also was working with pilots of ultralight aircraft on the possibility of putting weights on the homemade craft to weigh it down.

But after about two hours in the air, the balloon eventually landed gently on its own in a dirt field. Sheriff's deputies secured it by tossing shovelfuls of dirt on one edge while they investigated, determining the craft was empty.

The balloon reached an elevation of 8,500 feet and speeds of possibly as fast as 60 mph, Fox 31 in Colorado reported. It wasn't going "frighteningly fast," Fox 31 reporter Kim Psey said.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown said the agency tracked the balloon through reports from pilots and notified air traffic control facilities in the region. Some commercial flights out of Denver were affected.

The Web site ABC used to promote "Wife Swap" portrays the family members as thrill-seekers.

"When the Heene family aren't chasing storms, they devote their time to scientific experiments that include looking for extraterrestrials and building a research-gathering flying saucer to send into the eye of the storm," the Web site said.

The Heenes were criticized for their chaotic parenting style when Karen Martel of Connecticut entered the household as the new "wife." Martel's husband runs a child-proofing business, and she knew a thing or two about safety.

According to a recap on TVRage.com, the 100th episode finds two families swapping with each other who are returning by a viewers vote.

"One mom believes she is psychic and can speak with the dead, plus has control over the weather. The other is a family of storm chasing science-enthusiasts. The kids in the families will face off in a table meeting"

The runaway balloon made for quite a site Thursday.

"We were sitting eating, out looking where they normally shoot off hot air balloons. My husband said he saw something. It went over our rooftop. Then we saw the big round balloonish thing, it was spinning," said neighbor Lisa Eklund.
__________________

[Jolie Rouge]

Hmmm…if your son had been missing for hours, would you start out a press conference plugging your 3DLEV?!?! http://hotair.com/archives/2009/10/1...a-bad-bad-boy/

Richard Henne told reporters gathered outside his house that the experimental craft was designed so people could pull out of the garage and float above traffic on the way to work.

Falcon had been getting into the box that holds all the batteries, and Henne said he had yelled at him for doing that…

Falcon said: “I was in the attic. He scared me and he yelled at me. That’s why I went into the attic, because I thought I would get in trouble.”
Henne said the area above the garage is not like a true attic, but rafters and rough planks with drywall and PVC pipes sticking up. He said Falcon climbed up the pipe to get to his hiding place.

I guess that last bit explains how the cops missed him. Watch the clip, though: It sounds like the brothers deliberately punked their parents by videotaping the kid crawling into the balloon box as part of their story that he floated away. If this is a simple case of the little one panicking and hiding because he was afraid of being yelled at, what’s the brother’s excuse for lying?

As for how they found him, imagine this scene: “Mayumi [his mother] was reportedly sitting on the couch when her son walked into see her.” Exit quotation: “Anyone else think the whole nation fascinated by a hot air balloon that turned out to be empty just might be a little symbolic?”


The little boy tells the truth (via HA headlines) when asked why he didn’t come out of the attic: “You guys said that, um, we did this for a show.”

Rest of the video, in which Father Heene feigns indignance at being delicately questioned by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer about the boy’s disclosure, is at Breitbart TV.
http://www.breitbart.tv/dad-blasts-c...-show-comment/


One more hmmm… http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,567304,00.html

Richard Heene, in addition to attaining a level of reality TV fame on ABC’s “Wife Swap,” has his own amateur video series on YouTube in which he sizes up various pop culture phenomena.

For each topic, from the Loch Ness monster to Britney Spears’ chest, he asks the question “fake or real?”

…Richard Heene’s “Fake or Real” videos are little more than amusing first-person rants, delivered solo directly into the camera and typically lasting barely a minute.

In one video, dated Jan. 18, 2008, Heene takes on the airplane crash that killed John F. Kennedy Jr. “I don’t know why it would make any sense to me,” Heene says, while driving in a car.

It often is difficult to tell if Heene is joking or being serious. In another clip he makes fun of people who say they see life on Mars.

“I want you guys to let me know,” he says before going into a five minute tirade with a NASA photo of Mars’ surface on his computer screen.

Using computer photo software he zooms in on random images and points out what could be “signs of life” — a bone, a skeleton key, eyes, high-rise buildings and a miniature skull, just to name a few.

Chiropractors, teleportation inventors and even Hilary Clinton (is she a reptile?) face similar treatment through Heene’s lens.

Click here to watch some of the videos on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/user/YouTubia.../1/u-6S0OMkiTE
But Heene’s brief “Fake or Real” segments are only appetizers compared to some of the other video productions in which has been involved.

Heene also is part of a Web site called thepsyiencedetectives.com. Videos on YouTube show him and two others debating science and pseudo-science issues, such as UFOs, as if auditioning for both Comedy Central and the Discovery Channel.

But while the Web site is prominently displayed and referred to during their videos, a search for the site Thursday night turned up a blank page.
If a criminal investigation hasn’t been initiated, it will be now.

The Storm Chasers are Fame Chasers who manipulated their kids into thinking they were “making a movie” — and then paraded them before hungry news outlets to continue the charade after wasting precious law enforcement and rescue resources.


---

Just watching this wackjob family on Larry King Live, with Wolf Blitzer guest hosting. Wolf asks the boy why he was up in the attic for 4 hours….the boy, Falcon, hesitates then says,”Cause my Dad said it was a big show”. Not surprisingly if you saw Celebrity Jeopardy, Wolf totally misses this and goes on to the next question. The dad had a look of shear terror. This happened about ten minutes ago. I give it until noon tomorrow until this whole thing unravels and child services intervenes. Sad.

kriscoleman on October 15, 2009 at 9:51 PM

Update…. Wolf comes back to the question. The boys brother whispers, “Don’t say”. This parents should be locked up.

kriscoleman on October 15, 2009 at 9:57 PM

I think there are too many holes in this story and the family hedged when Wolf asked about the videotape of the day’s events that the oldest son had shot. The father dodged the question completely. These people are bizarre. Wolf asked about why Falcon said “we did this for the show” and why he was in the attic hiding for 4 hours while this whole affair is going on. The father is now acting defensive toward Wolf for asking the question. Henne said he is “appalled” that Wolf would question how the events unfolded. Wolf said he was trying to debunk the allegations that this was a hoax. Sounds like a hoax to me. The nation was punked by these kids.

[Jolie Rouge]

Thanks for the Sorbet, Balloon Boy — Update: A Big, Helium-Filled Hoax?

How did you spend your afternoon? If you’re like much of America, you spent it watching an empty mylar balloon soar across Colorado. But I have to admit — and I can say this now that the kid is okay — that it was a welcome respite from the usual weekday fare. Heck, the event even pre-empted Obama instead of the other way around for a change.



Fortunately, Falcon Henne, the boy who was initially thought to be aboard, was never inside the balloon. On the surface it looks like one of the kids videotaped Falcon getting into the balloon and showed that to his parents after the balloon took off, even though the boy had gotten out before it took off. So it was a joke that got out of hand that nobody knew how to get out of after the damage had been done — like a lot of elections.

After a couple of hours of coverage, the balloon landed and there was nobody in it. There hasn’t been that big of a collective media letdown since Geraldo opened Al Capone’s vault.

Below is the father explaining the ordeal. Listen to his description of the “invention” that the balloon was intended to be. The guy’s like the Doc Brown of Colorado.

“We don’t ground our kids.” When I thought your son was in the balloon, I agreed with you pal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZgzB...layer_embedded


A couple of suspicious items… first, the father manages to get in a plug or two for his “inventions,” which is weird for a dad who just moments earlier thought his son might have fallen to his death. Also, these people were on “Wife Swap” — so I won’t be surprised if there’s not a lot more to this than we now know. My “attention whre” antenna is raised.

http://dougpowers.com/2009/10/16/tha...t-balloon-boy/

[Jolie Rouge]

Video: Runaway balloon: The Heene family tells its story
ABC News – Fri Oct 16, 11:31 am ET

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/ynew...s0NUE;_ylu=X3o DMTNjcml2bGFyBGFzc2V0A2FiYy8yMDA5MTAxNi82ZTkyZWE2M WVjYTk3YmE1MjhkOGZmYWQ5ZmU2ZD

[Jolie Rouge]

'Balloon boy' dad to media: Put questions in box
Father of boy thought to be in runaway balloon says he'll answer questions
Richard Heene sets box in front of home to receive reporters' queries
Child protective services being consulted, local sheriff says
Incident appears to be genuine, not a hoax, sheriff says
updated 1 hour, 8 minutes ago

FORT COLLINS, Colorado (CNN) -- The man whose giant Mylar balloon ascended into the sky this week, amid fears that his 6-year-old was aboard, emerged from his house Saturday and offered a cardboard box for the media to submit questions.


Richard Heene offers a cardboard box Saturday to receive questions about his son and about his famous balloon.

"I got people e-mailing me, calling me; they've got a lot of questions, and I don't know how to quite frankly answer any of them other than I've got a box," Richard Heene said about 10 a.m.

He said he'd answer the questions later Saturday night.

"I'm going to place the box up front; please write your questions down," he said. "I have no idea what the news are saying. I don't have cable."

The situation captured the nation's attention Thursday, after authorities reported that the family's experimental helium balloon was set adrift, apparently with young Falcon Heene inside. Watch an "AC360" discussion of the incident »

Rescuers from several counties followed the silver, saucer-like vessel as it raced across the Colorado sky until it made a soft landing 90 miles and more than 90 minutes away in a field.

The boy was later found in an attic above the family's garage.

Authorities said Friday that they planned to reinterview the family as speculation mounted that the incident was staged.

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"We feel it's incumbent on us as an agency to attempt to reinterview them and establish whether this is in fact a hoax or actual event," Larimer County Sheriff James Alderden said Friday.

"We believe at this time that it's a real event."

The sheriff's office said it was conducting background checks on the Heenes.

Alderden told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Friday that -- based on reports that the parents "took these children into potentially dangerous situations" with tornado chases, the experimental balloons and other activities -- it would be "appropriate to involve child protection [services] to at least see what the family situation is and whether the children are in a safe condition."

Earlier, Alderden said his department has contacted child protection officials but asked them not to contact the family until investigators have had a chance to re-interview them.

"I'm feeling very, very grateful that Falcon is among us," Heene told CNN's "American Morning" on Friday. "We went through so many emotions yesterday."

But on CNN's "Larry King Live" on Thursday night, Heene asked Falcon why he had not come out from hiding when his parents were calling for him.

"You guys said we did this for the show," the boy said.

Heene said his son was confused when he made the "show" remark. There were media assembled on the front lawn asking all sorts of questions, and that's what Falcon was referring to, Heene said.


If it were determined that the incident was a hoax, "the only thing we have is them making a false report to authorities, which is a Class 3 misdemeanor," Alderden said.

But, he said, authorities could seek to recoup the money spent chasing the balloon and searching for the boy.


http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/17/colorado.balloon.boy/

[Jolie Rouge]

Sheriff: Charges will be filed in balloon saga
By DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer
1 hr 13 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – A Colorado sheriff said he was pursuing criminal charges in the case of a 6-year-old boy who vanished into the rafters of his garage while the world thought he was zooming through the sky in a flying saucer-like helium balloon.

The boy's parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, met with Larimer County investigators for much of the afternoon, but Sheriff Jim Alderden didn't say who would be charged or what the charges would be.

Alderden didn't call Thursday's hours-long drama a hoax, but he expressed disappointment that he couldn't level more serious charges in the incident, which sent police and the military scrambling to save young Falcon Heene as millions of worried television viewers watched.

"We were looking at Class 3 misdemeanor, which hardly seems serious enough given the circumstances," Alderden said. "We are talking to the district attorney, federal officials to see if perhaps there aren't additional federal charges that are appropriate in this circumstance."

He said deputies were seeking a search warrant for the family's home, and there would be more information at a news conference Sunday.

After the sheriff went inside, Richard Heene and his wife walked out. As reporters yelled questions, all Heene said was, "I was talking to the sheriff's department just now." He then walked to his car with his wife and a friend, and they drove away.

The Heenes were expected to speak to reporters outside their home later Saturday, after a strange day that began with Richard Heene knocking on the windows of journalists camped outside his home and promising a "big announcement." A few hours later, he did an about-face when he told reporters that they should leave questions in a cardboard box on the front doorstep.

As Heene walked away, a reporter shouted, "Can you tell us once and for all if this is a hoax?"

"Absolutely no hoax. I want your questions in the box," Heene said, waving a cardboard container before going back into his home.

A circus-like atmosphere formed outside, including men holding signs and occasionally yelling "balloon boy." One sign read, "Put balloon boy on TV: America's Most Wanted."

Other gawkers carried aluminum-foil stovetop popcorn makers that resembled the silvery balloon launched from the family's backyard Thursday, with 6-year-old Falcon Heene believed to be onboard.

While Richard and Mayumi Heene were at the sheriff's office, the couple's three sons remained home, apparently being watched by sheriff's officials. Authorities wouldn't comment on what was happening.

Alderden had said that he wanted to re-interview the family after Falcon turned to his dad during a CNN interview and said "you said we did this for a show" when asked why he didn't come out of his hiding place. Then Falcon got sick during two separate TV interviews when asked why he hid.

The balloon was supposed to be tethered to the ground when it lifted off, and no one was supposed to be aboard. A video of the launch shows the family counting down in unison, "3, 2, 1," before Richard Heene pulls a cord, setting the balloon into the air.

"Whoa!" one of the boys exclaims. Then his father says in disbelief, "Oh, my God!" He then says to someone, "You didn't put the (expletive) tether down!" and he kicks the wood frame that had held the balloon.

Falcon's brother said he saw him inside the compartment before it took off and that's why they thought he was in there when it launched. Heene said he had yelled at Falcon before the launch for getting inside.

Alderden said earlier that he thinks it's likely that Falcon ran off because he was scared of getting in trouble, later falling asleep in his hiding spot. He said he doubted that such a hyperactive boy could be ordered to stay quiet for the five hours he was missing.

Over the years, Richard Heene has worked as a storm chaser, a handyman and contractor, and an aspiring reality-TV star.

He and his family appeared on the ABC reality show "Wife Swap," and the show's producer said it had a show in development with the Heenes but the deal is now off. TLC also said Heene had pitched a reality show to the network months ago, but it passed on the offer.

Despite his attempts to get on TV, Heene insisted Saturday that he didn't know what kinds of questions were being asked about him because he didn't have cable.

"I'm going to place the box out front. Please write your questions down, because friends are telling me they're saying this and that. I have no idea what the news is saying," Heene said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091018/...boy_in_balloon

[Jolie Rouge]

Balloon boy hoax may have conspirators
Elliott, Associated Press Writers
1 hr 45 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The lawyer for the man accused of perpetrating the balloon boy hoax to promote a reality show said Monday that he expects authorities to bring charges against his client in the next day as investigators analyze e-mails that show Richard Heene and an associate discussing the stunt months ago.

"These folks are absolutely willing to turn themselves in, so I don't want to see a perp walk done for media consumption," lawyer David Lane said on the "Today" show on NBC as he made the rounds on the morning talk shows.

In addition to drawing up possible felony charges against Heene, investigators say they want to question an associate of his after e-mails surfaced showing the two had discussed a balloon hoax months ago as part of a public relations campaign for the reality show.

Robert Thomas of Denver claimed Heene had told him he was planning a media stunt to promote a proposed reality show. Thomas, a self-described researcher, sold his story to Gawker.com and provided the Web site with e-mail exchanges between him and Heene. Thomas said the show would feature Heene as a mad scientist who carries out various scientific experiments.

"This will be the most significant UFO-related news event to take place since the Roswell Crash of 1947, and the result will be a dramatic increase in local and national awareness about The Heene Family, our Reality Series, as well as the UFO Phenomenon in general," according to a copy of the show's proposal provided to the site by Thomas.

Gawker.com editor-in-chief Gabriel Snyder confirmed the New York-based Web site paid Thomas, but declined to say how much for the story billed with the headline: "Exclusive: I Helped Richard Heene Plan a Balloon Hoax."

Snyder said Thomas was planning to meet with investigators, though sheriff's officials did not return messages seeking confirmation.

Messages left for Thomas by The Associated Press were not returned.

Thomas, 25, said in his Gawker.com story that the plan he knew about did not involve Heene's children.

The alleged stunt temporarily shut down Denver International Airport, and the National Guard provided two helicopters in an attempt to rescue 6-year-old Falcon Heene, who was believed to be inside the flying-saucer shaped homemade balloon that hurtled more than 50 miles across two counties.

The drama played out on live television to millions of viewers worldwide. When the balloon landed without the boy, officials thought he had fallen out and began the grim search for his body.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden announced Sunday that he's seeking charges, including felonies, against Richard Heene and his wife, Mayumi. Alderden said the stunt two weeks in the planning was a marketing ploy by the Heenes, who met in acting school in Hollywood and have appeared on ABC's reality show "Wife Swap."

"We certainly know that there's a conspiracy between the husband and wife, you've probably seen some of the e-mails and some of the things on the Internet suggesting that there may be other conspirators," Alderden said.

Alderden said documents show that a media outlet has agreed to pay money to the Heenes with regard to the balloon incident. Alderden didn't name the media outlet but said it was a show that blurs "the line between entertainment and news."

It wasn't clear whether the deal was signed before or after the alleged hoax, or whether the media outlet was a possible conspirator.

"Let's call it (my statement) short of speculation that a media outlet was in on the hoax, but let's not discount the possibility," he said.

In an e-mail Sunday to the AP, Snyder said editors at Gawker.com had not contacted the Heene family or offered them money for their story, referring to Alderden's reference to a deal being struck by a media outlet.

"No, that wasn't us," Snyder said.

The parents weren't under arrest, the sheriff said. He said he expected to recommend charges of conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, making a false report to authorities and attempting to influence a public servant. Federal charges were also possible.

The most serious charges are felonies and carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Alderden said they would be seeking restitution for the costs, though he didn't have an estimate.

The cost for just the two military helicopters was about $14,500.

As Alderden told reporters Sunday that the whole thing was a hoax, the Heenes were shopping for snacks at Wal-Mart, where Richard Heene told the AP he was "seeking counsel."

"This thing has become so convoluted," Heene said, tears welling in his eyes. He said his wife was holding together better than he was.

In a statement issued Sunday, Lane he has advised the family against making public statements and said Heene is willing to turn himself in.

"I don't think it's humane to arrest someone in front of their children," Lane also said Monday, appearing on "The Early Show" CBS. "We're not sure what charges he's looking at yet."

Once investigators got a good look at the "flying saucer" they determined that the thin mylar balloon covered with foil and held together with duct tape would not have been able to launch with the 37-pound-boy inside, according to Colorado State University physics professor Brian Jones.

Other parts of the story, including whether the 6-year-old had been hiding in the rafters of the family's garage during an intense five-hour search also weren't true, Alderden said.

"For all we know he may have been two blocks down the road playing on the swing in the city park," the sheriff said.

The sheriff said all three of the Heenes' sons knew of the hoax, but likely won't face charges because of their ages. The oldest son is 10. One of the boys told investigators he saw his brother get in the balloon's box before it launched.

Alderden said Heene, a 48-year-old storm chaser, inventor and self-described amateur scientist, has a high school education and most recently earned a living by laying tile.

Alderden said investigators had an "aha" moment that the story was a hoax when Falcon turned to his father during a CNN interview Thursday and said what sounded like "you had said we did this for a show" when asked why he didn't come out of his hiding place.

On Friday, Falcon got sick during two separate TV interviews when asked again why he hid.

Alderden said they didn't question the family Friday because they wanted to keep the family's cooperation by maintaining the appearance that they believed their story.

Records show that police have responded to the house at least twice in the past year, including a possible domestic violence incident in February. No charges were filed.

Alderden said officials tried Saturday to persuade Mayumi Heene, 45, to go to a safe house, but she declined.

Alderden said the children were still with the parents Sunday and that child protective services had been contacted to investigate their well-being. On "Wife Swap," Heene was portrayed as erratic, at one point throwing a glass of milk on a participant on the program.

"Clearly, from all indications, Mr. Heene has somewhat of a temper," Alderden said.

Lane described the Heenes as a loving family.

"I met the three boys and they were in my office yesterday for a good long time and I have three kids of my own ... and these are by all appearances well loved, well taken care of, well adjusted and happy little boys," Lane said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

The producer of "Wife Swap" said it had a show in development with the Heenes but the deal is now off. TLC also said Heene had pitched a reality show to the network months ago, but it passed on the offer.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091019/...us_balloon_boy

[Jolie Rouge]

October 15, 2009 edition
Colorado went to huge lengths to save balloon boy Falcon Heene
The National Guard deployed helicopters and Denver airport delayed flights thinking Falcon Heene was in a runaway balloon. He was safe at home the whole time, but many questions remain unanswered.
By Mark Sappenfield | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

Colorado National Guard Col. Chris Petty was preparing to board his Black Hawk helicopter Thursday afternoon for what could have been a rescue attempt straight from the screens of Hollywood.

There had been talk of suspending someone beneath the helicopter in a desperate bid to save a boy who was reportedly trapped in an experimental helium balloon flying thousands of feet above the Colorado plains.

Then, word came: Six-year-old Falcon Heene was not in the balloon, as his brother had insisted to police. Instead, he was found hiding in a box above the Heene's garage in Fort Collins.

What would Petty have to say to the boy, the Associated Press asked: "I'm really glad you're alive, I'm very thankful, but I'd sure like to know the rest of the story."

So would the rest of America.

Nine-year-old Ryo Heene's conviction, repeated several times to the police, that his brother was in a box suspended beneath the shiny flying saucer being tracked (dare we say) falcon-like by news helicopters set momentous events in motion.

• Denver International Airport stopped all northbound flights from 1:00 to 1:15 p.m. local time.

• Search teams – including officials on horseback and ATVs – were dispatched to the Heene's neighborhood and to a nearby airport where eyewitnesses said they saw something falling from the Odd Flying Object.

• The Army National Guard deployed one helicopter, a Kiowa, and was preparing to launch Petty's Black Hawk. It was also talking to pilots of local ultralight aircraft to coordinate rescue strategies – such as dropping weights onto the balloon to make it descend.

There's been no talk of treating the Heene's like New Hampshire treated teenager Scott Mason. It fined him $25,000 for having to rescue him from the side of Mount Washington. Officials said he should have known better than attempt a difficult 17-mile hike alone.

But there is still the question of why the truth didn't come to light sooner.

Jim Alderden, the sheriff of Larimer County – where the balloon began its voyage – said he didn't want to make a conjecture, but "this is not the first time when we have been involved in searching for some child and once the child realizes people are looking for them, they hide because they're afraid they're going to get in trouble."

That's precisely what happened, the family said in a news conference. Falcon said he hid in the attic above the garage – playing with toys and even talking a nap – because he was afraid he would be punished by his father, presumably for setting the balloon loose.

But a New York Times blog suggests that "there might have been a bit of collusion among the Heene brothers," to cover up.

Moreover, neighbor Bob Licko told the AP he saw two boys on the roof of the Heene's house with a camera, commenting about their brother.

"One of the boys yelled to me that his brother was way up in the air," Licko said.

The family has been in the spotlight before.

Father Richard has attracted attention locally for being a tornado chaser – and bringing his kids along, something that colleagues have criticized as reckless.

As a science buff, he was apparently building the balloon as a backyard experiment – an activity that seems to have been completely legal.

The family has also been on the ABC show "Wife Swap," in which the wives in two families seen as polar opposites switch roles.

Richard's wife, Mayumi, switched places with a Karen Martel, whose husband runs Childproofers Network of Connecticut. The show's website summarized Martel's experience in the Heene house this way: "[Martel] is shocked as the Heene kids jump off banisters and run wild."

Perhaps today, she is the least shocked person in America.


http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1016/p...gn.html?s=yaho

[Jolie Rouge]

FAA investigating Colo. balloon flight
By P. Solomon Banda, Associated Press Writers 1 hr 41 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Federal Aviation Administration has opened its own investigation into the 50-mile flight of the helium balloon that briefly delayed flights at Denver International Airport after a couple reported that their 6-year-old son may have been on board, an official said Tuesday.

FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said the agency investigates civil allegations rather than criminal ones. He declined to provide details on the nature of the FAA probe or its possible outcome.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden has said investigators believe amateur storm chasers Richard and Mayumi Heene called 911 Thursday saying they thought their son, Falcon, was aboard the large helium balloon that floated away from their yard in Fort Collins in a bid to get publicity for a reality TV show.

The balloon landed 50 miles away near Denver International Airport. Some flights had to be changed to a different runway for 20 minutes.

Falcon was found safe at home.

Alderden said he is seeking charges against the Heenes including conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, making a false report to authorities, and attempting to influence a public servant. The most serious charges are felonies and carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison.

Alderden said authorities also would be seeking restitution for the costs of the balloon chase, though he didn't provide a figure.

His office has said it will likely be sometime next week before it forwards its findings to prosecutors to decide on charges.

Richard Heene previously has denied a hoax.

He emerged briefly from the family's home Tuesday morning but didn't answer reporters' questions.

Heene did show two delivery workers where to find five leased helium tanks that were being returned to Flexx Productions, a Fort Collins rental company. The workers said four of the tanks were empty and one was partially full.

An associate of Heene's, Robert Thomas, has told sheriff's investigators that he helped record Heene's ideas for a TV show, said Thomas' attorney, Linda Lee.

Lee said Monday that Heene was "obsessed" with trying to land a TV show and become famous.

"Heene believes the world is going to end in 2012," she said. "Because of that, he wanted to make money quickly, become rich enough to build a bunker or something underground, where he can be safe from the sun exploding."

Thomas told NBC's "Today" show on Tuesday that he had nothing to do with the hoax and didn't know about the balloon being launched until he saw it on television. Asked whether he should be profiting by selling his story, Thomas, who described himself as an entrepreneur and a college student, said he was told that people sell their stories to the media and that he was paid "way less than most people think."

Thomas helped Richard Heene organize his thoughts and worked with him from March to May, Lee said. Thomas' notes include Richard Heene discussing a hoax that involved a balloon to make it seem like there was a UFO, Lee said.

Lee said investigators told her Thomas would not face charges but that she was seeking immunity for him "just to be safe." Thomas has said he had no idea that a possible hoax could involve the Heene children.

The Heenes twice appeared on ABC's "Wife Swap," including a March episode in which they discuss their approach to parenting and talk about their belief that they're the descendants of aliens.

The producer of "Wife Swap" had a show in development with the Heenes but said the deal is now off. The TLC cable network also said Heene had pitched a reality show months ago, but it passed on the offer.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091021/...ludmVzdGlnYQ--

[Jolie Rouge]

Lawyer: Colo. balloon boy parents to plead guilty
By P. Solomon Banda, Associated Press Writer
27 mins ago

DENVER – The Colorado parents who reported their 6-year-old son floated away in a helium balloon in what authorities say was a hoax to drum up publicity for a TV show will both plead guilty to charges in the case, the attorney for the boy's father said Thursday.

Richard Heene, 48, will plead guilty to attempting to influence a public servant, a felony, his attorney David Lane said. Mayumi Heene, 45, will plead guilty to false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor.

Prosecutors have agreed to allow both to serve probation sentences, Lane said. Prosecutors did not immediately return a phone message Thursday morning. Mayumi Heene's attorney, Lee Christian, also did not return a call.

The most serious of the charges recommended by Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden would have carried a maximum sentence of six years in prison.

Richard and Mayumi Heene's frantic calls to authorities Oct. 15, saying they feared their son Falcon might be aboard a homemade balloon that had escaped from their suburban Fort Collins back yard, triggered a frenzied response before the balloon landed in a dusty farm field without the boy inside. The Heenes said they found Falcon at home — hiding, they said.

Relief soon turned to suspicion. During a live interview on CNN hours after the balloon chase, Falcon looked to his father and said, "You had said that we did this for a show."

The Heenes had twice appeared on the ABC reality show "Wife Swap," and former business partners said Richard Heene wanted a show of his own called "The Science Detectives" or "The Psyience Detectives."

On Oct. 17, deputies questioned both parents separately. Mayumi Heene, 45, admitted the incident was a hoax, according to a search warrant affidavit.

Lane said the couple agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors because Mayumi Heene is a citizen of Japan, and any felony conviction or certain misdemeanor convictions could result in her deportation.

"Unfortunately, the prosecutors insisted upon a package deal where Richard would have to fall on his sword and take a felony plea despite the fact that he made no incriminating statements to law enforcement and Mayumi's statements could not be used against him," Lane said Thursday.

Lane said Mayumi Heene's statements likely couldn't have been used against her husband because of marital privilege, which can keep a a person's spouse from testifying against them.

"Upon reviewing the evidence, arguably, Mayumi could have possibly ended up being deported and Richard could have proceeded to trial and had a good chance at an acquittal," Lane said. "This, however, would have put the family at grave risk of seeing a loving, caring, compassionate wife and mother ripped from the family and deported. That was not an acceptable risk, thus these pleas."

It was unclear whether the pleas would affect the couple's custody of their children. Lane said avoiding Mayumi Heene's possible deportation and keeping the family together was one of the main reasons for making the deal.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091112/...llcmNvbG9iYQ--