Balloon Believed to Be Carrying Boy Lands, Boy Not Inside

[lorettalockhorn]

DEVELOPING: A homemade balloon slowly descended in a Colorado field Thursday, but the fate of a 6-year-old boy believed to be inside was not known, authorities said.

The bizarre scene played out live on television and prompted fears that the flying saucer-shaped balloon would crash with the young child inside.

The child was identified as Falcon Heene, the son of a Colorado weather-chaser. The boy and his family have appeared on the 100th episode of the ABC series "Wife Swap."

The Colorado Army National Guard was preparing to launch an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter to help in the response effort, said Capt. Michael Odgers. It wasn't immediately clear what role the helicopter would play.

Larimer County sheriff's spokeswoman Eloise Campanella says the device has the potential to rise to 10,000 feet. Sheriff's officials last saw the device floating south of Milliken, which is about 40 miles north of Denver. The craft is reportedly traveling at about 25 miles per hour.

The FAA cleared airspace near Denver International Airport.

Bill Hughes, owner of Blue Sky Balloons, a New York-based hot air balloon company, said there's two ways the balloon could potentially descend — by its occupant releasing some of the gas inside or someone adding weight to it in some way.

"One of those things would cause it to descend," Hughes told Fox News Channel.

"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.

Additional details about the child and the balloon were not immediately available.

Click here for more on this story from MyFOXColorado.com.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,567041,00.html

[One2Snoop]

No sign of boy said to have floated off on balloon
AP

By P. SOLOMON BANDA and IVAN MORENO, Associated Press Writers P. Solomon Banda And Ivan Moreno, Associated Press Writers – 1 min ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – A giant silvery helium balloon floated away from a yard in Colorado with a 6-year-old boy believed to be inside and slowly touched down in a field two hours later with the child nowhere in sight, setting off a frantic search for the boy.

snip
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091015/ap_on_re_us/us_boy_in_balloon

[lorettalockhorn]

HLN just reported the boy is alive at home. No other details.

[SaraSidle]

HLN just reported the boy is alive at home. No other details.

DH was right again darnit. Seriously I am glad he has been found.
If everyone had checked first it would have saved a lot of money. IMO

[SaraSidle]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/15/colorado.boy.balloon/index.html

hiding in the attic. uh oh. no computer games for a while :punch:

[lorettalockhorn]

Looks like these parents could brush up on their supervisory skills.

[samanthajane13]

Family of balloon boy featured on `Wife Swap'
NEW YORK – The family of a 6-year-old boy who set off a nationally televised scramble when he was thought to be in a balloon over Colorado has been featured twice in the ABC show "Wife Swap."

Authorities said Falcon, the son of Richard and Mayumi Heene of Fort Collins, Colo., was safe at home where he had been hiding the whole time.

Falcon's family was last on "Wife Swap" in March, favorites of the audience who had voted to have them featured again on the show's 100th episode.

In "Wife Swap," two mothers trade places for a few weeks. Producers try to match families with wildly different attitudes and lifestyles to see if sparks fly.

When they first appeared last fall, the Heenes were described as storm chasers who lived on the edge and were matched with a Connecticut family who considered safety to be paramount.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091015/ap_on_en_tv/us_boy_in_balloon_wife_swap

[SaraSidle]

Family of balloon boy featured on `Wife Swap'
NEW YORK – The family of a 6-year-old boy who set off a nationally televised scramble when he was thought to be in a balloon over Colorado has been featured twice in the ABC show "Wife Swap."

Authorities said Falcon, the son of Richard and Mayumi Heene of Fort Collins, Colo., was safe at home where he had been hiding the whole time.

Falcon's family was last on "Wife Swap" in March, favorites of the audience who had voted to have them featured again on the show's 100th episode.

In "Wife Swap," two mothers trade places for a few weeks. Producers try to match families with wildly different attitudes and lifestyles to see if sparks fly.

When they first appeared last fall, the Heenes were described as storm chasers who lived on the edge and were matched with a Connecticut family who considered safety to be paramount.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091015/ap_on_en_tv/us_boy_in_balloon_wife_swap

As I recall on that episode the parents were very liberal. IMO

[wind149]

While I am relieved to know this child is OK and was never in that balloon, I think his parents are complete idiots for not looking around the house, yard and hood before sending half of CO in the air and on the ground just on the word of one of their other sons!!! Even the reporters on the networks who are usually unflappable, were all in a tizzy over this one and you can clearly see why. Had that child been in that contraption when it soared to 10,000 feet, it's highest capacity, he would have died from lack of oxygen! Not to mention his death from crashing into a mountain!!!! I am willing to bet and this is based on a TH on CNN, that according to the other "WIFE" on that SWAP show, the parents did not watch over their children very well, as young as these kids are, Dad would allow them to go in the yard unattended and that is a no no in this day and age!!! And he is a storm chaser and actually would take all these kids right into a freaking tornado and if that is not stupid, I don't know what is! Now I am sure that they would argue that they are teaching their kids about the dangers involved with a tornado, but those storms are fickle!!! It could look like it was veering off in another direction and then BAM! It comes full bore right at them and it is all over as they get tossed all over CO!!! HOW STUPID AND CARELESS!!!

And I am wondering how big the bill is gonna be, and they, by their sheer stupidity, should pay it!!! How many rescue units were deployed, not to mention many LE officials and when it was reported that the boy was not in that thing, my heart sunk as just about then too, it was reported that a deputy thought he saw something fall from the craft and that got everyone going, thinking the kid fell out of it and search parties were about to deploy over a 35 mile swath of CO and then, it came about the kid was hiding in the freaking attic!!! Now this little boy was curious as all kids that age are and seeing as stupid mommy and daddy probably showed him how the dumb thing is launched, that he very well could have been in that thing!!
I was just coming out of the Dr's office into the waiting room when I heard a woman scream and I was like what? And she was standing next to the TV, a look of horror on her face and I was like, what is going on? And I saw the thing and at first I wasn't sure what the hell it was till the commentator said it was a homemade mylar weather balloon and a 6 year old boy was apparently in it!! And I am watching this thing weaving and bobbing and it got some air and all I kept thinking, if a kid is in it, he is done for!

I raced home and turned on the news and it was about 20 minutes later that it landed with no kid in it and that is when I was like OH OH, did he fall out, or was he even in it to begin with? Guess which was the answer???? I swear if parents are not outright killing their kids or other people's kids, they are neglecting them or simply not giving a crap where they are and who they are with. They ply their kids with all the latest toys because they feel guilty because both parents have to work these days unless they are rich and then they hire nannies. Now back when I was a kid, no mommies worked outside the home unless you count the ones that were plowing the fields along with their husbands. My mother never held a job in her life and for all appearances sakes, we looked like the Cleavers, Dad coming home from work and dinner hitting the table about the time he is hanging up the towel in the bathroom and then it was homework and then we had to watch whatever Dad wanted to on the tube and then it was bedtime and this routine did not waver until I left home when they sent me to that horrible private school because I needed more "structure to be a proper young lady"

In other words, banished because I did not want to be what they wanted me to be. Graduate high school and go to college long enough to snag a future doctor or lawyer, get married and be the next June Cleaver! NOT!!! SO instead I get raped the first night I was there and I blame them entirely for this along with scumbag because when it all hit the fan, they believed him and not me!!! To me, besides the abuse June heaped on me herself, by sending me to that hell hole, they were still abusing me and that is why they will never see my ass again and I have even forgotten what they look like, it is my way of reaching back into sanity and taking back myself from them, they can't ever hurt me again. Now you are probably wondering why I brought this up here.

These parents today, by their stupidity abused that child in the sense that no one was watching them, because if they were, he would have never been near that thing ALONE!!! Now a pedophile could be cruising down the avenue, sees a little boy by himself and bam, he is gone before anyone knows he is!!! And if they are lucky, he comes back home alive, or his body is found in a ditch somewhere!!! People have to keep a constant vigil on their kids even if the kids are in their own yards!!!! How many kids were snapped at their own homes? Christopher Barrios, Jessica, Danielle Van Damm, Zina Linnink, Samanatha Runnion? Dylan and Shasta Groene?? And there are other hazards. I almost hit a child the other day with my car. He was cruising on his bike and he had on an I-Pod and did not hear or see me and pulled right out in front of me and his age? ABOUT SIX!!

Parents nowhere in sight!! After I started breathing again, I see him pull into a crappy shacky trailer and I decided to speak to his folks because it is a major no no on a busy road to be riding a bike at that age. He looked at me when I pulled in and I asked him if his Mom or Dad was around and he looked scared and I told him I was not mad at him, just concerned and a woman came out in a bathrobe and it is 1 pm and asked the kid who I was and he actually told her the truth and I got out of my car and I told her what happened and she starts screaming at the kid and I was like, well that will accomplish nothing and I tell this hillbilly that I was concerned about the I-Pod and his age and she looked at me and says, "well I told him not to ride with it, and then I asked the 65 dollar question about him being so young to be on a road by himself and she shrugs and says, "well there ain't much for him to do out here" Total lack of concern on her part, so what else could I do? She yelled at him to get into the house and I left feeling so disgusted, but I suppose I could have called CPS or LE, but I have a feeling she already knew those folks and how to play the game. You could tell by the home, that she did not care much about anything including the child.

He was not dressed for the weather either and it has turned cold here in the Midwest, today only got as high as 43 and he only had on a thin polo shirt and ragged jeans, another doomed kid like Haleigh. So I do hope these idiot parents learned a valuable lesson today, that maybe storm chasing and balloons are something they don't need to know about up close???? And I do hope CO sends them a whopping bill for this and that they also teach the other kid not to lie, as I think this could possibly be a prank thing too. Like they thought it would be funny? I ain't laughing and neither will LE.

[samanthajane13]

Believe me...if it were MY kid, he wouldn't sit for about a month for worrying everyone and being such a weasel.

That may make me a be-otch and a bad mother, but he'd never pull a stunt like that again.

I HATE these New Age parents who cater to their little hellions and never discipline them.

[samanthajane13]

Morning after: Balloon boy gets sick twice on TV
By P. SOLOMON BANDA and IVAN MORENO, Associated Press Writers P. Solomon Banda And Ivan Moreno, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 59 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The father of a 6-year-old boy who was thought to be in a helium balloon that floated away said Friday accusations that the ordeal was a publicity stunt are "extremely pathetic." The sheriff said he will be asking more questions.

Richard Heene and his family made the rounds on all three television networks on Friday, and the boy at the center of the saga got sick twice when he and his father were asked during separate interviews what he meant when he said that "we did this for a show."

Falcon Heene vanished around the time his family's homemade helium balloon floated away from their home on Thursday, setting off a national uproar as authorities scoured the plains of northern Colorado for the youngster. Turns out, he was hiding in the rafters of the family's garage.

During a live interview with CNN Thursday night, Falcon said he had heard his family calling his name but didn't come out of the attic hiding place because his father "had said that we did this for a show." The boys' parents — Richard and Mayumi Heene — are storm chasers who appeared twice in the ABC reality show "Wife Swap."

Sheriff Jim Alderden said Friday his investigators believe there was no hoax, but investigators will seek a new interview with the family after the CNN broadcast to clarify the statement.

Alderden told KUSA-TV in Denver on Friday that he didn't know what to make of Falcon's comments, but pointed out they came after hours of dealing with media questions. Alderden said investigators, trained to look at body language and verbal communication for signs of deception, were at the Heene home during the whole ordeal and believe they were telling the truth. Despite that, he said investigators would re-interview the family because of the comment.

During an ABC interview on Friday Falcon was asked why he said he was hiding "for a show," at which point he said: "Mom, I feel like I'm going to vomit." He then left the room with his mother and could be heard gagging.

During a live interview on NBC's "Today" that aired simultaneously, Falcon threw up into a container when his father was answering the same question.

At the beginning of the ABC interview, Falcon was asked how he's doing. "I feel good so far," he answered.

Richard Heene lambasted speculation that the ordeal was a hoax.

"I went through such a roller coaster of emotions yesterday, to have people say that, I think, is extremely pathetic," he told ABC.

"I'm not selling anything. This is what we do all the time."

It was five hours from the time the oldest of three sons reported that Falcon, the youngest, had climbed into a saucer-shaped balloon that had drifted off, setting off a search that included military helicopters and a plan to either lower a person to the craft or place weights on the balloon to bring it down. Officials rerouted planes around the balloon's flight path and briefly shut down Denver International Airport.

Heene said the family was tinkering with the balloon Thursday and that he scolded Falcon for getting inside a compartment on the craft. It was designed to hover about 50 to 100 feet from the ground but it broke loose from its tether.

The family videotaped the episode. In a segment shown on national TV, the father kicked the ground when the balloon took off.

One of Falcon's two brothers said he had seen him inside the compartment before it took off and that's why they thought he was in there when it launched. But the boy had gone to the garage rafters at some point and was never in the balloon during its two-hour, 50-mile journey through two counties.

"I was in the attic and he scared me because he yelled at me," Falcon said, referring to his father. "That's why I went in the attic."

The Heenes aren't the types to shy from attention, with boys featured in a rap music video on YouTube and the whole family appearing on the ABC show "Wife Swap."

The show promoted the Heene family as storm chasers who also "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."

During a live interview with CNN, Falcon said he had heard his family calling his name.

"You did?" his mother asked.

"Why didn't you come out?" Richard Heene said.

Falcon answered, "You had said that we did this for a show."

Heene told NBC his son was confused by the question, being only 6 years old, and had shown television reporters his hiding spot, confusing that with a show.

(This version CORRECTS Corrects sheriff's name to 'Alderden' instead of 'Alderman.' ADDS sheriff's comments. AP Video.)


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091016/ap_on_re_us/us_boy_in_balloon

[samanthajane13]

By P. SOLOMON BANDA and IVAN MORENO, Associated Press Writers P. Solomon Banda And Ivan Moreno, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 42 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – By all accounts, Richard Heene is an unapologetic self-promoter who would pursue all sorts of off-the-wall stunts to get media attention. Flying saucers, mountaintop helicopter stunts, storm chasing, reality TV shows — no gag was beyond his limits.

But would he go so far as to hide his 6-year-old son in the rafters of his garage for five hours and make it seem like the boy floated away in a helium balloon?

It was a question being asked everywhere Friday, one day after the balloon drama unfolded live on television during a frenzied search before little Falcon Heene was found.

The sheriff's office said it does not believe at this point that the balloon episode was a stunt, but investigators planned to question the family again Saturday. Richard Heene denies that the events were a hoax, dismissing such allegations as "extremely pathetic."

Doubts surfaced after a series of bizarre TV interviews, including one on CNN in which Falcon Heene told his parents "you said we did this for a show" when asked why he did not come down from the garage rafters during the search.

The family made the rounds on the morning talk shows Friday, and little Falcon threw up during two separate interviews when asked why he hid.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden acknowledged that Falcon's comments on CNN had clearly "raised everybody's level of skepticism." But, he said, investigators had no reason to believe the whole thing was a hoax.

Alderden said the family seemed genuine during the panic, and he believed events could have unfolded just as they described: Falcon got frightened when his father scolded him for playing inside the balloon, and hid in the garage out of fear.

The sheriff said his office has been flooded with calls and e-mails about the matter. He added that officials "have to operate on what we can prove as a fact and not what people want to be done."

The sheriff was also asked about the sequence of events when the Heenes reported their child's disappearance to authorities. The Heenes called the FAA first, followed by a local TV station with a news helicopter, and then dialed 911. The sheriff said the TV station call made sense because the helicopter could have provided immediate assistance.

In the 911 call, the boy's mother, Mayumi Heene, told a dispatcher in a panicked voice that her child was in "a flying saucer." She sobbed and said, "We've got to get my son."

It was not the first time someone from the Heenes' home has dialed 911. A Colorado sheriff's deputy responded to a 911 hang-up in February at the home, hearing a man yelling and noticing Mayumi Heene had a mark on her cheek and broken blood vessels in her left eye. She said it was because of a problem with her contacts.

Richard Heene said he had been yelling because his children stayed up past their bedtime. The husband and wife said nothing had happened, and the deputy concluded he did not have probable cause to make an arrest.

If the balloon ordeal was a hoax, the parents could be charged with making a false report to authorities, a low-level misdemeanor, Alderden said.

He said authorities would need to bring a criminal case before attempting to recoup restitution costs for the thousands of dollars spent to search for the boy, an effort that involved military helicopters, a ground rescue and even a mounted posse. Officials also rerouted planes around the balloon's flight path and briefly shut down Denver International Airport.

Deputies searched the family's home and considered going into the attic, but they "just didn't think it was possible that 6-year-old boy would be able to get up to that space, so they didn't look there," Alderden said.

While the balloon was in the air, the sheriff's department reached out to a university professor who determined that a balloon of that size would support a child the size of Falcon, Alderden said. The balloon could probably handle a payload of about 80 pounds. The child weighed 37 pounds.

A video of the balloon launch shows the family counting down in unison, "3,2,1," before Richard Heene pulls a cord, setting the silvery craft 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.

Richard Heene's actions have drawn scrutiny and puzzlement on many occasions in recent years. He has worked as a storm chaser, a handyman and a contractor, and an aspiring reality-TV star.

He and his family appeared on the ABC reality show "Wife Swap," receiving no more than a few thousand dollars for each show, according to a person familiar with the production. The person requested anonymity because the source was not authorized to speak publicly.

In addition, the producer of "Wife Swap" said that it had a show in development with the Heenes but that the deal is now off. The producer did not provide specifics. TLC also said Heene had pitched a reality show to the network months ago, but it passed on the offer.

Barb Slusser Adams, who along with Heene and another man worked on a proposed show called "The Science Detectives," said she became used to his relentless attempts to get media attention for the program, which never aired. Heene described the show on his MySpace page as a documentary series "to investigate the mysteries of science."

Slusser said one of Heene's publicity ideas involved going at dawn to the top of a mountain with her and an associate from the show. They would be clad in black attire similar to that worn by characters in the "Matrix" movies, "and the helicopter would come by and strafe us or whatever," Slusser said. She and the associate said "absolutely not."

Slusser said Heene approached ABC to be on "Wife Swap" in an attempt to promote "The Science Detectives." She said Heene included her in his pitch to be on "Wife Swap" without her knowledge, describing her as a family friend who could be on the show.

Actor-comedian Perry Caravello said he met Heene back in the early 1990s, when Heene was struggling in Hollywood. Caravello said Heene rented out a room at the Comedy Store, and he and a handful of comedians performed, but that the event was a "total bomb."

The two worked on a couple of construction jobs before Heene approached Caravello about storm chasing. "He wanted to ride a motorcycle into the middle of a tornado. It was stupid, out-of-the-world stuff."

The sheriff said that because of the "magnitude" of the balloon event, his office contacted social workers, but investigators asked them not to speak to the Heenes until the family has talked to authorities again.

Maj. Justin Smith of the sheriff's office said social workers were asked to get involved because of concerns about the family's storm-chasing. He said authorities want to make sure the children are in a healthy environment.

On Friday, dozens of journalists were parked in front of the family home. At times, two of the boys could be seen playing in the backyard and peeking through windows at the scene on the street. One of the boys, Ryo, would occasionally crack open the door and tell journalists that the family was not talking today.

"My dad said he's tired of this show," the boy said.

___

Associated Press writers Colleen Slevin in Colorado and Greg Risling, Lynn Elber and Solvej Schou in Los Angeles contributed to this report. Moreno reported from Denver.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091017/ap_on_re_us/us_boy_in_balloon

[samanthajane13]

Father of boy in balloon saga meets with officers
By DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer Dan Elliott, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 3 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – A storm-chasing inventor met with sheriff's officials Saturday amid lingering questions about whether he perpetrated a big hoax when his 6-year-old son 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 saga grew stranger by the day. Richard Heene knocked on the windows of journalists camped outside his home early Saturday and promised a "big announcement" in a few hours, then did an about-face when he told reporters that they should leave questions in a cardboard box on the front doorstep.

"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.

A man pulled a red wagon with coffee for sale. The sign had "$2" scratched out with a new price of $1. Some neighbors stopped by to drop questions of their own into the box.

Falcon's mother, Mayumi Heene, also went to the sheriff's office about two hours after husband did. The couple's three sons remained home, apparently being watched by sheriff's officials. Authorities wouldn't comment on what was happening.

"We're trying to figure things out. That's all I can say," sheriff's spokeswoman Eloise Campanella said.

Sheriff Jim Alderden has said that he wanted to re-interview the family after Falcon told CNN that "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 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.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers P. Solomon Banda in Fort Collins; Judith Kohler, Ivan Moreno and Colleen Slevin in Denver; and Greg Risling, Lynn Elber and Solvej Schou in Los Angeles.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091017/ap_on_re_us/us_boy_in_balloon

[wind149]

I think the father is a complete whack job and his wife is an Asian geisha door mat!!! I almost puked when I saw him today standing in front of reporters like he is some dignitary or something, waving his box around, the box that he asks of these reporters to put their questions in and he will answer then at a later date? HUH? If you ask me, I think this was a set up deal, and Daddy wants to keep getting his 15 minutes and I base that one the fact that he tried to pitch a reality show and the network turned him down so he decided to really do a reality show starring him, his meek little wife who I bet, never challenges him and his three soon to be messed up in the head kids. I watched the video and I was like YEAH RIGHT! This guy knows how to react on cue and I think the whole thing was staged, but since this guy clearly wants to be a camerawhore, do I dare say, would he have allowed one of his kids to actually soar the blue skies of CO if it meant him getting his own "Weird Science Reality Show"??? I think the answer is yes, hell, if the kid died, you can always make more, but a once in a blue moon "invention" is more important?

I think the Sheriff is going to find out that this whole thing was staged and I base that on what the little brat said on LK. "They were doing it for the show" Now does that mean when they were on the SWAP show, or does he mean the little show he was supposed to star in?? And the kid was so upset he pukes twice and did anyone besides me catch the disgusted look he gave his kid when the kid pukes on his jeans? I have a bad feeling about this tool and I am thinking that in that castle, he rules with an iron fist and has anyone heard two words out of Geisha girl? I watched her on LK, she looked at him, like she had to ask permission to speak when Larry directed a question her way and hesitated to speak till he nods at her and then what comes out of her mouth sounds rehearsed, she had been fed her lines by him before appearing, this much I am willing to bet on. He even looks like a bruiser and a mad scientist and I would take anything out of his mouth with a grain of salt. And did you hear his inane response about swearing and cussing? He claims it is OK for his kids to cuss, providing they only do it at home? HUH? He goes on to say, (LAUGH OUT LOUD) that he swears in front of his kids and that it is OK because he does not want to be a hypocrite????

This guy is whacked and I am betting the Sheriff already knows that, and I still feel they should pick up the tab, but in CO they do not charge for rescues and searches UNLESS they find out that it was bogus and Sheriff, sir? You have one bogus dude in your town and I say expose him for the creep that I think he is! Also, I did hear that CPS might start an investigation into this happydom and I am betting that she or he will uncover more than I already suspect. A lot of Asian women are subservient, that is how they are raised, they do not raise their voices in protest and the man is the Lord of the Mannor and they do not dare talk back or stick up for themselves in any way, the accept their lot like their female relatives have done for centuries and I can just see this tool giving her a fat lip, I can taste her fear, he is a bully and I am betting his kids have seen the back side of his hand too. After working with the Domestic Task force you get so, you can spot an abused woman a mile away.

Couple weeks back, I went to the laundry mat and I often rap with the attendant. A couple came in, about in their late 50's and husband starts berating her for putting too much soap in the washers, he yells at her for not hurrying up with the change and sits his fat ass down while she scurries along, throwing clothes in the washers and he takes out a watch, and I am like, no s!it he is timing her? Rose picks up on this too and he goes out to his car and I notice an elderly woman in the backseat, I presume is his mother. Across the way is a restaurant and he and she walk over to it and go in. Meanwhile, I look at the woman closely and I can clearly see under her make-up a faint bruise and she takes off her sweater and I see handprints on her arms and I was like that SOB! The clothes washed, she throws them into the dryers and Sonny and mommy come back and Mommy has a milkshake in her hand and the woman asks the loser if he got her a coffee and this tool says, "you don't have time to drink coffee, you need to get this done, momma needs her rest"

I was doing a slow burn and I look at Rose and she is staring at him like he is a pile of rat puke and he picks up on our obvious ire, and yells at her to hurry up!!! I could not take it anymore and I look at Rose and I said to the air," You know, nowadays women don't have to take beatings from loser husbands, they can have them arrested", The woman stops folding clothes to look at me and I stare back, hoping she is picking up my vibe as he sure does!! He glares at me and goes outside to have a smoke and to check on mommy, but keeps a beady eye on wifey. Rose and I go outside to have a smoke too and he stares at the two of us like he would like to kick both our asses and I said to him," You are a woman beater and a scumbag and I hope one day, that your woman wakes up and leaves your sorry ass" He is so pissed off all he can do is gape at me, clearly, I touched some big ass nerve and I looked at him and I said, "I am writing down your plate number and I am going to pass it along to the police" Now he is wanting to hit me, got that small man complex thing going on too as I am bigger than he and he doubles up his fist and I was like, bring it on asshole!

! He yells at the woman to take all the clothes out of the drier even if they are still wet and they book!!! I sure hope she got what I was saying, but chances are she is so broken by this point, she would not dare leave his ass!!! When I look at Big Daddy here, I get that same vibe, this man is a control freak and not some intelligent scientist and I totally think both of them are lousy parents.

[samanthajane13]

Sheriff: Charges will be filed in balloon saga
By DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer Dan Elliott, Associated Press Writer – 55 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Deputies searched the home of a couple caught up in Colorado's "balloon boy" saga Saturday night after the sheriff said he was pursuing criminal charges in a case that at first sparked fear for the child, then relief he was okay, to suspicions of a hoax.

The boy's parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, met with Larimer County investigators for much of Saturday afternoon amid lingering questions about whether he perpetrated a publicity stunt when his 6-year-old son Falcon vanished into the rafters of his garage while the world thought he was zooming through the sky in a flying saucer-like helium balloon.

But Sheriff Jim Alderden didn't say who would be charged or what the charges would be. His deputies later showed up at the Heene's Fort Collins home with a search warrant and at least three of them began a search. Sgt. Ian Stewart declined so say what they were after.

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."

Suspicion that the balloon saga was a hoax arose almost immediately after Falcon was found hiding in a cardboard box. Heene, a storm chaser and inventor whose family has appeared on the reality show "Wife Swap," and his wife had said one of the boy's older brothers had said Falcon was aboard the homemade balloon when it took off.

Alderden initially said there was no reason to believe the incident was a hoax. Authorities questioned the Heenes again after Falcon turned to his dad during a CNN interview Thursday night and said "you said we did this for a show" when asked why he didn't come out of his hiding place.

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

After the sheriff spoke to reporters, Richard Heene and his wife walked out of his office after meeting with officials for several hours. 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.

It wasn't clear where the family was late Saturday night. By 9 p.m., an AP reporter at the family home said the couple hadn't returned after leaving the sheriff's office. Their three sons were believed to have been at home being watched by sheriff's officials earlier in the day, but their whereabouts also weren't known to reporters in the evening.

The day 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 a flying saucer-like helium balloon launched from the family's backyard Thursday, with 6-year-old Falcon Heene believed to be onboard.

The Heenes have said 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.

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.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers P. Solomon Banda in Fort Collins; Judith Kohler, Ivan Moreno and Colleen Slevin in Denver; and Greg Risling, Lynn Elber and Solvej Schou in Los Angeles.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091018/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy

[samanthajane13]

Colorado sheriff: Runaway balloon saga was hoax
By DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer Dan Elliott, Associated Press Writer – 56 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The parents who set off a worldwide drama by reporting their 6-year-old son was inside a flying saucer-like helium balloon hurtling over Colorado concocted the stunt to market themselves for a television show, a sheriff said Sunday.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said at an extraordinarily candid news conference that the boy, Falcon Heene, may not have even been hiding in the rafters of the family's garage during the intense five-hour search for him Thursday afternoon.

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

Alderden said the parents Richard and Mayumi Heene "put on a very good show for us, and we bought it."

The sheriff said no charges had been filed yet, and the parents weren't under arrest. 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.

Some of the most serious charges each carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

Richard and Mayumi Heene were shopping at Wal-Mart with their three sons as Alderden told reporters at the sheriff's station that the whole thing was a hoax.

Richard Heene said he's "seeking counsel," though it was unclear whether he was talking about hiring an attorney.

"This thing has become so convoluted," Heene told The Associated Press as tears welled up in his eyes.

He said his wife was holding together better than he was.

The sheriff said all three of the Heenes' sons knew of the Thursday 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.

Heene, a storm chaser and inventor, and his family have appeared on the reality show "Wife Swap." Alderden said the couple met in acting school in Hollywood. Richard Heene has described himself as an amateur scientist, but Alderden said Heene has only a high school education.

"He may be nutty, but he's not a professor," Alderden said.

Alderden said interviews with the parents Saturday resulted in enough information to get a warrant to search the house. He said they were looking for computers, e-mails, phone records and financial records.

Alderden said the children were still with the parents Sunday morning, and child protective services had been contacted to investigate the children's well-being.

Alderden was asked whether officials had concerns for Falcon's safety after the child's comment on CNN that raised doubts for investigators. The boy turned to his dad during the interview Thursday night and said what sounded like "you 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 Friday when asked again why he hid.

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

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

"We talked to her at length about domestic violence, about her safety, about her children's safety," the sheriff said. "We have a concern, but we didn't have enough that would allow us or child protective services to physically take the kids from that environment."

A Colorado State University physics professor, using dimensions given by Richard Heene, had told sheriff's officials as they were tracking the balloon Thursday that it was plausible for it to lift off with 37-pound Falcon inside.

Once the device landed, sheriff's officials discovered it was made with plastic tarps taped together and covered with aluminum foil, with a utility box made of a very thin piece of plywood, cardboard on the side, held together with string and duct tape, Alderden said.

Using the true dimensions, the professor determined it could not have launched with the boy inside, Alderden said.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091018/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy

[Paddy]

Colorado Authorities: 'Balloon Boy' Flight 'Was a Stunt'

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden announced at a press conference on Sunday that Colorado authorities have ruled the "balloon boy's" flight a hoax.

"It has been determined that this is a hoax. We believe we have evidence at this point to indicate that this was a publicity stunt," Alderden told reporters.

Authorities believe the alleged plot was hatched in an attempt by the Heene family "to better market themselves for a reality show at some point in the future," Alderden said. "They were lying."

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office will recommend charges of conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, false reporting to authorities, and attempting to influence a public servant against the Heenes.

No charges have been filed yet, and neither Richard or Mayumi Heene are under arrest. Some of the most serious charges each carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

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

Authorities believe the family planned the hoax for at least two weeks prior to Thursday's saga. "On the bizarre meter, this rates a 10," Alderden said.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,568420,00.html


I think it's a shame the example these parents are setting for these children.

[SaraSidle]

Colorado Authorities: 'Balloon Boy' Flight 'Was a Stunt'

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden announced at a press conference on Sunday that Colorado authorities have ruled the "balloon boy's" flight a hoax.

"It has been determined that this is a hoax. We believe we have evidence at this point to indicate that this was a publicity stunt," Alderden told reporters.

Authorities believe the alleged plot was hatched in an attempt by the Heene family "to better market themselves for a reality show at some point in the future," Alderden said. "They were lying."

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office will recommend charges of conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, false reporting to authorities, and attempting to influence a public servant against the Heenes.

No charges have been filed yet, and neither Richard or Mayumi Heene are under arrest. Some of the most serious charges each carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

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

Authorities believe the family planned the hoax for at least two weeks prior to Thursday's saga. "On the bizarre meter, this rates a 10," Alderden said.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,568420,00.html


I think it's a shame the example these parents are setting for these children.

I am also very angry about it. My dh and I flipped to CNN and sat on the edge of our seats for a long time watching that dam balloon. we were so scared that little boy would not make it. I have enough in my life to get emotional about and I sure did not need that. thank you heene family imo

[samanthajane13]

Balloon dad never shy about his bizarre stunts
By DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer Dan Elliott, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 49 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Richard Heene provided a glimpse of the chaos he was about to spark this week when he described for a national TV audience in March his belief that aliens are humanity's ancestors, his latest madcap inventions and his unconventional approach to raising a family.

Appearing on the ABC reality TV show "Wife Swap," he told of once passing out in a fast-food restaurant and hearing aliens speak to him. He boasted of his plans to build a flying saucer covered in aluminum foil and send it into a tornado. He pulled his children around a hockey rink on a hovercraft-like device and took them on UFO-hunting expeditions.

"I'm very grateful that America has voted for us to be on a second time," he said of his second appearance on the show. "(It's) like the best thing that's ever happened in our life. Seriously."

The signs of Heene's publicity-hungry ambitions appeared to culminate last week, when a helium-filled balloon floated away from his home with his 6-year-old son thought to be inside. In the end, investigators said it was all a hoax designed to drum up attention for his next reality TV endeavor on the heels of the "Wife Swap" appearance.

Heene now faces the possibility of criminal charges that could send him to prison for several years.

The case has cast the spotlight on the bizarre antics of Heene, a 48-year-old amateur scientist, handyman and aspiring reality TV star whose associates described him as a shameless self-promoter who would do almost anything to advance his latest endeavor.

In this case, investigators say it involved making it seem like his youngest child had drifted away in a balloon when the boy was actually somewhere in the neighborhood.

Heene has lived a fairly transient lifestyle over the years. He tried his hand at acting and standup comedy in Hollywood, where he met his wife Mayumi, 45. They had three children — ages 10, 8 and 6 — and quickly immersed the kids in their storm-chasing missions that sometimes involved putting them dangerously close to tornadoes.

"Mom Mayumi is devoted to helping her fringe scientist and inventor husband Richard build a flying saucer and hunt for UFOs as they hope to find evidence to support their belief that all humans are descended from aliens," according to the "Wife Swap" episode in March. "Mayumi also manages to take care of the three rough, tough Heene boys, who are completely out of this world."

The family has chased down one storm after another, and Richard Heene claims to have flown in an airplane around the perimeter of Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Heene was obsessed with launching various inventions into storms, something that developed back in the 1970s after a storm ripped off the roof of a building he was working on.

"There's gotta be a way to dissipate the tornado," he said as he described one of his inventions. "Well, this is the tornado cannon."

Actor-comedian Perry Caravello said he met Heene back in the early 1990s, when Heene was struggling in Hollywood. Caravello rented out a spot for a standup comedy show that ended up being a "total bomb," he said.

Heene was always trying to get people to invest money in his storm-chasing exploits, including riding a motorcycle into the middle of a tornado, Caravello said.

Caravello said Heene and his family eventually moved into a cramped office space packed with video equipment, clothing and other items. He said Heene was easily excitable, a complete contrast to Mayumi Heene, who was quiet and reserved.

On "Wife Swap," Heene was portrayed as erratic, at one point throwing a glass of milk on a participant on the program. The sheriff's office investigated a domestic violence complaint at the home in March after Mayumi appeared battered, but no charges were filed.

Headshot photographer Carrie Cavalier, of Burbank, Calif., bristles when asked about Richard Heene. She told The Associated Press that the Heene family rented a one-story Burbank house from her month-to-month from June 2006 until June 2007.

After she gave them an eviction notice, she said, the family picked up and left without notice, leaving behind a home in disarray. The family still owes her a $2,000 security deposit, and $6,000 in damage to the home, she said.

They ran a business out of the home called My You Me Productions, according to records. The business, which produced demo reels for actors, had also been housed at one point in an office building in West Los Angeles.

"They were barely surviving financially," Cavalier said. "She was doing all the work and trying to take care of the kids. It was very chaotic."

Heene recently realized that the lucrative reality TV business provided a golden opportunity to promote his endeavors. He and his family made it onto two episodes of "Wife Swap," and the producer of the show said it had another show in development with the Heenes. The deal is now off; the producer did not provide specifics. TLC also said Heene had pitched a reality show to the network months ago, but it passed on the offer.

All the while, Heene began assembling the infamous helium balloon in his backyard, piecing it together with foil, rope and duct tape. It all played out on Thursday in stunning fashion on national television as a stunned Heene appeared shocked that his child has just vanished in the balloon.

Neighbors were stunned by the news that the Heenes allegedly perpetrated a hoax. Many of them believed that Falcon was in the balloon, and they helped search for the child.

Sarah Duty, who lives down the street, said her two sons often play with the Heene children and they had been in her home. She said it would be hard on her children if it does turn out to be a hoax.

"My main concern right now is those three little boys. I just love those kids," she said.

___

Associated Press writers contributing to this report include Catherine Tsai and P. Solomon Banda in Denver, and Lynn Elber and Solvej Schou in Los Angeles.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091019/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy_family

[samanthajane13]

Sheriff: Balloon boy hoax may have conspirators
By DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writers Dan Elliott, Associated Press Writers – Mon Oct 19, 8:06 am ET

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Investigators say they want to question an associate of Richard Heene after e-mails surfaced showing the two had discussed a balloon hoax months ago as part of a public relations campaign for a reality TV show.

Investigators said they want to interview Robert Thomas, a Denver man who 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 Sunday night, 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.

On Monday, the couple's attorney, David Lane, appeared on the "Today" show on NBC, saying he expects authorities to file charges against the 6-year-old's parents late Monday or sometime Tuesday. Lane also said the couple are willing to voluntarily turn themselves in to face charges.

"These folks are absolutely willing to turn themselves in, so I don't want to see a perp walk done for media consumption. 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."

In a statement issued Sunday, Lane he has advised the family against making public statements.

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.

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.

___

Associated Press writers Catherine Tsai, P. Solomon Banda and AP contributor Breck Larson in Fort Collins provided material for this report.


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

[wind149]

I told you guys that Sheriff was not a stupid man and he would figure out for himself this was all staged by an egomaniac wife beating cretin!!!! And I had to bark with laughter, so hard I almost fell off my couch I was laughing so hard, I startled the cats, usually they hear me scream with anger and disgust so for me to belly laugh, they were surprised! He, the camerawhore that he is, now says he feels like he is being seiged???? Yeah, because his little hoax backfired on him when his puking son told the truth, poor kid was so upset because Daddykins told him to lie and he in his innocence probably has been taught, at least by teachers that it is wrong to lie. Now the kids will not face the music but Mommy and Daddy should be jailed. And I beg CO CPS to look deeply into that household because I am spot on that domestic violence has taken place in that home and because he is such an asshole and he has wife beater written all over him, I am positive that Mom and the kids have felt his wrath. I watched that episode of WIFE SWAP and the nerve of this guy! Calling the other wife, fat and lazy and stupid and this tool, has only a high school education and is far from a scientist, more like a complete egotistical joke!!! Two of the charges they face are felonies, and I hope the DA makes them stick. Now I am not one that wants to see kids taken from their parents, but with these two, I think it would be best if these kids were taken because clearly, these idiots have put their lives on the line so Daddy can chase tornadoes for his ego blast and then this debacle and Mommy is so subservient, she would not say boo unless she has his permission and I don't think she is capable of stepping in and protecting them from him.

The Sheriff suspects that one incident was not a 911 hang up call, but domestic violence and he has offered to set her up in a safe house, but like so many battered women, she is afraid to leave him and she has probably never held a real job in her life, taking care of that asshole has been her primary function and calving out kids and even then, the kids have taken a backseat to him because if she truly cared, she would have never let him pull this ridiculous stunt and involve the boy and she would have stood up to him and she didn't. Now if a news media is involved in this, it is not surprising to anyone with all the dumb and ridiculous reality shows out there, that this is probably true and if so, then they should be held accountable too. Today, I saw where this contraption was held together with duct tape and 3 nine volt batteries, and it reminds me of some dumb things we built in science class in 5th grade. My Dad and I built a working volcano out of paper mache and mud and we used dry gas for the lava and I did win first prize, and this was what it was, a 5th grader science project and that is all that thing is and not some new wonder of the aviation world!!! So I hope that this idiot gets locked up and maybe Momma will grow a set and leave this moron and take the kids with her and run!!

[samanthajane13]

Balloon boy charges may not come until next week
By P. SOLOMON BANDA, Associated Press Writers P. Solomon Banda, Associated Press Writers – 2 hrs 31 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Authorities investigating the family accused of perpetrating the balloon boy hoax to promote a reality show said Monday they don't expect to bring possible charges until at least next week.

Larimer County sheriff's spokeswoman Eloise Campanella said that investigators don't anticipate finishing their reports and presenting them to the district attorney's office until next week. It will then be up to prosecutors to decide whether to file charges against Richard Heene or his wife, Mayumi.

The couple's lawyer, David Lane, said earlier in the day that he expected charges to be filed by Wednesday. With television cameras and reporters set up outside the Heene home, Lane has stressed that the Heenes are willing to turn themselves in to avoid the spectacle of a public arrest.

Lane declined to say directly whether he believes the incident was a hoax but said the Heenes are innocent unless convicted. The family remained in seclusion Monday at their home.

"If they (prosecutors) can prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, that's one thing. If they can't prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, that's another," he told The Associated Press.

Investigators also 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 but Larimer County sheriff's spokeswoman Kathy Messick wouldn't comment on whether he had been interviewed. 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 emergence of the e-mails is the latest twist in a story that played out live on national television on Thursday when a silver helium-filled balloon floated away from the Heenes' home with 6-year-old Falcon believed to be aboard. But he was never in the balloon.

Some flights at Denver International Airport had to be changed to a different runway, but the airport remained open during the balloon's flight, airport spokesman Chuck Cannon said Monday. Previous reports said the airport was temporarily shut down.

The National Guard provided two helicopters in an attempt to rescue the child, costing several thousand dollars. When the balloon landed without the boy, officials thought he had fallen out and began the grim search for his body.

Sheriff Jim Alderden announced Sunday that he's seeking charges, including felonies, against Richard and Mayumi Heene. 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 twice 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.


Continued...

[samanthajane13]

"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 sheriff 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.

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.

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.

Alderden said he didn't know whether the 6-year-old had been hiding in the rafters of the family's garage during an intense five-hour search, as the family claimed.

"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.

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. That's the same day the sheriff gave a press conference in which he said he believed the saga was a "real event." He said Sunday that those assurances were part of his effort to keep the family's trust.

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 said Alderden should "put up or shut up" about domestic violence.

"For the sheriff to put out for public consumption that Richard is a wife beater and not have any charges even considered to be filed is irresponsible and is designed solely to turn the public even more against the Heenes, in particular Richard," Lane said.

Heene has a profile listed on a Web site that helps people get cast in reality shows, and 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.

___

Associated Press writers Catherine Tsai, Dan Elliott and AP contributor Breck Larson in Fort Collins provided material for this report.


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

[Marian Paroo]

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/10/20/colorado.balloon.investigation/index.html

Like boo-hoo!:biggrin:

[samanthajane13]

Associate of balloon boy's father questioned
By P. SOLOMON BANDA, Associated Press Writers P. Solomon Banda, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 41 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – An investigation into possible criminal charges for a Colorado couple who told authorities their son floated off in a balloon shaped like a flying saucer has spread to those who worked with them.

Robert Thomas told sheriff's investigators about what he observed between amateur storm chasers Richard and Mayumi Heene when he helped record Richard Heene's ideas earlier this year, Thomas' attorney, Linda Lee, said Monday. Thomas earlier sold his story to the Web site Gawker.com.

Lee said Richard 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."

Investigators on Monday pored over e-mails, phone records and financial documents from the Heene home.

The Larimer County sheriff's office said its findings will be forwarded to prosecutors next week to decide if Richard and Mayumi Heene should be charged with falsely reporting that their 6-year-old son, Falcon, had drifted away in a large home-built helium balloon to drum up publicity for a reality TV show.

The investigation could reach beyond the Heenes.

Sheriff Jim Alderden said documents show that a media outlet had agreed to pay the Heenes. However, it was unclear if the outlet was a conspirator. Alderden didn't name the organization.

The Heenes apparently wanted to star in a reality show focusing on a range of bizarre experiments, such as trying to attract UFOs with a weather balloon. Thomas worked with Richard Heene on the idea for the show from March until May.

Sheriff's officials interviewed Thomas on Sunday, after he revealed that Heene was planning a media stunt to promote the show, Lee said.

Thomas' notes include Richard Heene discussing a hoax that involved a hot air balloon, Lee said.

"Pretty much he wanted to recreate this Roswell effect making it seem like there's a UFO," she said, adding that Thomas opposed the idea.

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

Richard Heene's attorney, David Lane, declined to say directly whether he believes the incident was a hoax but said the Heenes are innocent until proven guilty. The Heenes didn't comment Monday.

If prosecutors "can prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, that's one thing," Lane told The Associated Press. "If they can't prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, that's another."

Mayumi Heene's lawyer, Lee Christian, declined to comment on whether the couple still maintains they thought their son was in the balloon before he emerged at home and told reporters he'd been hiding in the garage.

Alderden said the children were still with the parents and that child protective services had been contacted to investigate their well-being.

Alderden said charges he is seeking against the Heenes include 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, though he didn't have an estimate.

It's unknown who else may have been working with Heene to launch the reality show.

Heene has a profile listed on a Web site that helps people get cast in reality shows, and the site said he last logged on in late September — around the time investigators said the hoax was taking root. The site lists his occupation as a research scientist and general contractor with a high school education.

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.

___

Associated Press writers Dan Elliott and Colleen Slevin in Denver and Greg Risling in Los Angeles contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091020/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy

[Marian Paroo]

Dreck.

[samanthajane13]

'Balloon boy' parents heard crying in 911 call

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Police have released a 911 call they received from a Colorado couple who told authorities they believed their 6-year-old son had floated away in a giant helium balloon.

The audio released Wednesday is of Richard and Mayumi Heene (HEE-nee) talking to a police dispatcher before being transferred to a Larimer County dispatcher. Audio from that call was released last week.

A breathless Richard Heene says he called the Federal Aviation Administration and then 911, saying his son got inside the experimental craft before it took off. A dispatcher asks to talk to his wife, who says her other son thought he saw his brother inside. She can be heard crying.

The boy was later found at the family's Fort Collins home.

Sheriff Jim Alderden says it was a hoax, which Richard Heene has denied.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091022/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy

[samanthajane13]

Friend: Balloon mom will 'go down with the ship'
By P. SOLOMON BANDA and DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writers P. Solomon Banda And Dan Elliott, Associated Press Writers – Thu Oct 22, 3:40 am ET

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – On an episode of ABC's "Wife Swap," Mayumi Heene pounds her fists and shouts in frustration because she believes her co-star isn't paying enough attention to one of his sons.

Off-camera, the mother of Colorado "balloon boy" Falcon Heene is a stoic, hardworking woman who is loyal to her family and sometimes subservient to her husband, those who know her say.

She now could face charges along with her husband in last week's runaway balloon spectacle.

Six-year-old Falcon Heene was reported trapped in the saucer-shaped balloon as it floated across the Colorado plains but was later found alive and well at the family home in Fort Collins, about 60 miles north of Denver.

Mayumi and Richard Heene explained Falcon had been hiding in their garage because he thought he would be in trouble after the homemade device was accidentally launched from the back yard.

Authorities say Falcon was a pawn in a hoax hatched by his parents to get publicity for a reality TV show. They say the parents could face criminal charges and be asked to pay restitution for the cost of the massive search-and-rescue operation.

The couple, who have two other sons, have denied staging the incident.

Richard Heene, 48, is the public face of the family, and his aspirations to become a reality TV star and television scientist are well known. Mayumi Heene, 45, has been mostly in the background.

Friends say she emigrated from her native Japan — it's not clear when — and met Richard at an acting school in Hollywood. Public records show they married in October 1997 in Clark County, Nev., which includes Las Vegas.

The couple ran a film-editing business in Los Angeles for a while, renting a house in 2006 and 2007 from Carrie Cavalier, a Burbank-based photographer who takes publicity headshots.

"When they had their editing business, she was doing all the work. She was in the back guest house doing editing and working on the footage all the time," Cavalier said.

Barbara Slusser of Fort Collins, who worked with Richard Heene on a proposed TV show called "The Science Detectives" or "The Psyience Detectives," described Mayumi Heene as stoic, strong, intelligent and big-hearted.

"But she also is totally subservient to Richard and the boys. Whatever they want, they get," Slusser said.

She said Mayumi didn't have much of a say in family matters but is devoted to what Slusser called their "unit."

"She's devoted to the unit. She'll go down with the ship," Slusser said.

The Heenes moved to Fort Collins by late 2007. Investigators say Richard Heene worked in construction, including installing tile. Neighbors say they often saw him working on a project in the driveway or fishing with his boys in a nearby creek but that Mayumi Heene rarely ventured out of the house. She did chat with neighbors at the community mailbox stand or wave as she loaded the children in a minivan for school.

About the most neighbors and parents at her children's school heard from her was when she talked about the family's appearance on reality TV.

The Heenes appeared on "Wife Swap" late last year and again in March, with Mayumi Heene trading places with a mother from a Connecticut family. The show described the other family as "safety-conscious" and the Heene household as "chaotic as a twister."

"She had really enjoyed the other family," said neighbor Amy Dengler, who spoke to Mayumi Heene shortly afterward.

Leilani Bishop, who lives in a house across a greenbelt behind the Heene home, said she has spoken to the couple on several occasions, once after she said one of the Heene boys urinated on her driveway.

Mayumi Heene was apologetic, she said, but Richard Heene was more aggressive and confrontational.

Marc Friedland, who lives next to the Heenes, said he's never seen Richard Heene yell at his spouse.

"I've heard him be upset, but in a minute he calms down," he said.

Records show that a Larimer County deputy responded to the house in February and reported that he thought a fight may have taken place. But he concluded he didn't have probable cause to make an arrest. Last weekend, Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said officials tried to persuade Mayumi Heene to go with her sons to a safe house, but she declined. Richard Heene's attorney, David Lane, called such talk by the sheriff "irresponsible."

"Wife Swap" showed Richard Heene throwing a glass of milk at the Connecticut woman who traded places with Mayumi, who in turn berates her fake husband on the show as a "loser."

But one of the Heenes' neighbors said she doesn't read too much into the antics on the show.

"I can't really tell if he's a hot head or not," Molly Fiechtl said. "I don't want to use every thing I see on these shows to form my opinions. You can't tell how much of that is acting."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091022/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy_mom

[samanthajane13]

Affidavit: Mom told deputies balloon saga was hoax
By DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer Dan Elliott, Associated Press Writer – 4 mins ago

DENVER – The mother of the 6-year-old boy once feared missing inside a runaway helium balloon told Colorado sheriff's deputies that the whole saga was a hoax, according to court documents.

Mayumi Heene admitted to deputies that she and her husband Richard "knew all along that Falcon was hiding in the residence" in Fort Collins, according to an affidavit used to get a search warrant for the home.

She allegedly told investigators the incident was a hoax meant to make them more marketable to the media.

"Mayumi described that she and Richard Heene devised this hoax approximately two weeks earlier.... She and Richard had instructed their three children to lie to authorities as well as the media regarding this hoax," the affidavit released Friday said.

Richard Heene has denied a hoax. His lawyer, David Lane, said Friday he is waiting to see the evidence in the case.

"Allegations are cheap," Lane said.

Mayumi Heene's lawyer, Lee Christian, was traveling and didn't immediately respond to messages left with his office.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden has said he will recommend 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 next week before it forwards its findings to prosecutors to decide on charges.

In frantic calls to a TV station, 911 and federal aviation officials, the Heenes reported that they feared Falcon was in the homemade, saucer-like balloon when it was accidentally launched from their back yard last week.

Millions watched as media and National Guard helicopters tracked the balloon across the Colorado plains. It landed in a dusty farm field, where ground crews looked inside but found no sign of the boy.

Later, the relieved-looking couple reported Falcon had been hiding in their garage the whole time. But suspicion heated up when Falcon made a comment on CNN that sounded like "You had said we did this for a show."

Sheriff's deputies questioned the parents separately on Oct. 17, two days after the flight. Mayumi Heene told authorities "she and Richard Heene had lied to authorities on October 15, 2009 (the day of the flight)," the affidavit said.

She told investigators "that the release of the flying saucer was intentional as a hoax.... The motive for the fabricated story was to make the Heene family more marketable for future media interest," the affidavit said.

The Heenes twice had appeared on ABC's reality show "Wife Swap," and acquaintances said Richard Heene had plans for other possible shows.

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.

Sheriff's officials declined to comment Friday.

Among the items taken by authorities during the Oct. 17 home search were video cameras, computers, hard drives, a picture of a flying saucer, receipts, papers, a phone/address book and a flight itinerary. The list didn't identify the passenger, destination or date of travel.

___

Associated Press Writer Kathy Packer contributed to this report from Fort Collins.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091024/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy_search

[lorettalockhorn]

The Kids Stay In the Picture— Sadly Enough

The sheriff of Larimer County, Colo., has suggested that any number of criminal charges might soon be brought against Balloon Boy dad Richard Heene whom he accused of perpetrating a hoax. Among the charges being entertained are "false reporting to authorities" and the catch-all "conspiracy." But the most relevant to the national moment is the possible charge of "contributing to the delinquency of a minor." Relevant, because ours is an age in which parents eager to join the celebrity industrial complex have become all too willing to exploit their children.

The Balloon Boy imbroglio comes in the midst of the great "Jon & Kate Plus 8" fiasco. After a few years of parading their twins and sextuplets before the cameras for the TLC network, the perpetually adolescent husband has separated from the harpy wife. It all made for good train-wreck TV, with the elevated ratings to prove it—until Jon Gosselin learned that his name was coming off the show. The prospect of "Kate Plus 8" managed to focus his mind. Mr. Gosselin's lawyer informed TLC and its production company, Figure 8 Films, that he considered their filming detrimental to the welfare of the children. Mr. Gosselin's revelation may be a cynical legal ploy, but that doesn't mean he isn't right, however belatedly.

The exploitation of children has become standard practice for "reality" family productions. Consider the nanny shows: ABC's "SuperNanny," and "Nanny 911," originally on Fox and now on the CMT cable channel. The premise of these programs is that there are naughty, out-of-control children who need remedial parenting. Though the thrust is always that it is fundamentally the parents' fault (for not effectively punishing misbehavior), there is no escaping the basic message that the kids being depicted are a mess. They are at the center of shows that could be titled "What Not to Rear."

And what of the kids who have to suffer through ABC's odious "Wife Swap"? When the crazy mother from another family shows up, the father can ignore her or yell at her or otherwise protect himself from her ravings. But the children have to make a pretense of submitting to her ersatz authority. Stepmothers have always had a bad rap, whether making Cinderella sweep and scrub or getting their inconvenient stepsons shipped off with Wackford Squeers to Dickens's Dotheboys Hall. But now we squander the occasional hour watching actual children being bullied by loony stepmotherly characters. Even more disturbing: What sort of person would subject his children to such a humiliating ordeal? Oh, that's right, Balloon Boy's dad would—having put his brood in front of the "Wife Swap" cameras not once but twice.

The appeal to the production companies filming these shows is obvious. By maintaining the conceit that children on reality series aren't actors or entertainers, a network can use them without any of the protections that kick in when child entertainers are being employed (especially when filming in those few states, notably California and New York, that have robust laws to protect the interests of showbiz kids). As one reality-TV production company executive told me about the people who populate their shows: "They're not actors. They're not employees. The closest thing you could say is that they're documentary subjects." It isn't clear whether authorities will buy this dubious distinction once they start paying more attention to the reality TV racket. Pennsylvania's Department of Labor and Industry is investigating whether the "Jon & Kate Plus 8" producers are in compliance with the state's labor laws governing child entertainers.

We can only wonder how much damage the clumsy psychological hazing of reality-TV shows does to the children who find themselves on camera. Most kids are resilient and, at least in those shows where no one family is used for more than an episode or two, the wreckage is likely to be less than that suffered by standard-issue child stars (Lindsay Lohan, say hello to Mackenzie Phillips). But at least child stars are guaranteed to be paid, part of the compensation going into trust funds that their grasping parents can't touch. Some kids doing the reality shtick may get earnings of their own out of a particular deal, but there are no broad guarantees ensuring it.

How much choice do the children have in whether to be on television? It's not as if the Gosselin toddlers took a vote. Surely we know by now that bad decisions made by ambitious stage parents can dog their children for decades to come. An exhibit of lubricious artworks that opened this month at the Tate Modern museum in London was to have included a nude photo of Brooke Shields, an image taken when the actress was only 10 years old. It was removed after Scotland Yard suggested that the picture might fall afoul of child pornography laws. Ms. Shields has been trying to quash that particular image for decades. But thanks to her mother's willingness to act as pander, and sign releases, when the actress was a pre-teen, the photo persists. A 1977 New York magazine profile captured the problem neatly with its coverline: "Brooke is twelve. She poses nude. Teri is her mother. She thinks it's swell." In 1981, Ms. Shields tried to have a New York court seize the naked negatives from the photographer. And though one judge took pity on her as the "hapless child victim of a contract to which two adults bound her," a federal judge ultimately ruled that the contract was binding.

It's long been noted that the Victorians suffered no little cognitive dissonance when it came to children. They hypersentimentalized tykes in maudlin fiction, with a particular weakness for smudge-faced street urchins; at the same time, they consigned the poor rascals to the workhouse. We have a similar disconnect, with a society that revolves around children and teenagers and yet rather glibly consumes entertainments that are the product of child labor in the electronic workhouse. Whether it's Brooke or the Balloon Boy, it's a shabby business.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704224004574489310081948326.html

[wind149]

I see where Mama doormat has come clean because it dawned on her that she could go to prison and frankly, I am surprised she did so because I picked up a vibe with her that speaks total fear of whack job Daddy and now would be a good time for her to leave him because she could lose her kids over this. I can guess that her life with him has been difficult, this guy is so into himself and fancies himself a "STAR" and I am sure his needs came before the kids and scum like him seem to always pick subservient women and Asian women are taught that the man is the Lord and Master from an early age and they are to obey them at all costs and if they don't, they are punished severely. So if she really loves her kids, now would be a good time to file for divorce and get away from him for good. And I am betting he is highly pissed off at Falcon for blowing the whole thing by saying, "we did it for the show" and I am afraid that he might try to harm the boy because now, the whole world knows he is a complete loser and is the laughing stock of the country and is facing some jail time and his dreams of being a "reality TV star" is never gonna happen now and to think this man because he craves that camera so much, got his own wife and kids to lie like dogs for him and those kids, I think are already messed up mind wise and he doesn't care, it was all about him and his "fame"

And this is one the reasons I wish reality shows never came about because there are no bounderies and anyone can be a "star" And look at some of them! Some people have actually died or were murdered and some like Rock of Love, one the worst ones, had hookers and dancers and most of them have serious alcohol issues and to think a rock star has to go on a show to get laid by a bunch of brain dead bimbos most of which were not even born when Poison was in it's heyday??? Then there was the one the dude who murdered his wife was on, at least VHI had the sense to pull that crap show off the air and it seems, the worst ones are on VH1. Hulk Hogan's brain dead bimbo daughter has her crap show and then TRU has that really stupid "REHAB" show which features bimbos over serving already wasted people at the Hard Rock in Vegas, and all their dramas and the bimbos and their dramas and their GM who has that little man complex who thinks he is a major player and to me, he is a little prick, I know it can't be easy trying to get these brain dead women to do their jobs, but this idiot likes to throw his weight around like he is some big Vegas big shot and I think he is a flaming asshole!!! And people like Daddy, see these shows and he wants one too, and that he thinks he is some real scientist and a storm chaser and the reality, he is a wife beating, horrible father and a complete asshole!!!

[samanthajane13]

Lawyer blasts release of affidavit in balloon case

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – A mother's confession that she and her husband faked their 6-year-old son's disappearance in a runaway balloon shouldn't have been made public, an attorney for the father said.

Denver attorney David Lane blasted Larimer County officials for releasing documents Friday in the investigation into whether Mayumi and Richard Heene staged a hoax, saying the papers should have remained sealed until arrests were made.

"It's further proof of what that sheriff will do to further his own agenda and try to make it unfair to the Heenes," Lane told The Coloradoan in Fort Collins.

He said the Heenes haven't even seen the affidavit, which was used to get a warrant to search their home.

Sheriff Jim Alderden and Larimer County District Attorney Larry Abrahamson said releasing such documents is common if there's not an order to seal a document.

Mayumi Heene admitted to deputies that she and her husband knew their son, Falcon, was hiding in their Fort Collins home while authorities were chasing the homemade, UFO-shaped helium balloon, according to the affidavit. She is represented by lawyer Lee Christian, who was traveling and didn't immediately respond to messages left with his office.

The Heenes' reports that the boy was inside a compartment on the bottom of the balloon set off a 50-mile scramble Oct. 15 in northern Colorado by police, firefighters and National Guard and media helicopters. The boy was later found at the home, where he said he'd been hiding in the garage because he was afraid he was in trouble.

Alderden said he will pursue charges against both parents, accusing them of staging a hoax for publicity as they tried to land a deal for a reality TV show.

It's not clear if Mayumi Heene's alleged confession could be used in a case against her husband, said Denver defense attorney Karen Steinhauser, a former prosecutor and current adjunct professor at the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law.

Communication between spouses is considered privileged, and testimony about what was said can be blocked, Steinhauser said.

"The whole idea is to protect relationships," she said.

Complicating the case, however, is whether the children were involved in the discussions.

"I'm not aware of anything granting family privilege," Steinhauser said.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091025/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy_search

[samanthajane13]

Sheriff in balloon saga doesn't shy from soapbox
By DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer Dan Elliott, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 32 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The sheriff at the center of the runaway balloon saga says he's not enjoying the media spotlight, but that's never stopped the John Wayne fan from using it to offer brash opinions on hot topics.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden once used his blog to label a nearby city "the imbecilic borough of Boulder" for being too secular for his taste. At a nationally televised news conference Oct. 18, he declared that much of what's on TV is "garbage."

Alderden, who has worked in law enforcement for 37 years, wasn't well known outside his home county until Oct. 15, when the saga of a boy feared carried away on a balloon captivated a live television audience of millions. Since then, he's been a frequent presence on TV, in newspapers and on the Internet.

At first, he told the world he believed Richard and Mayumi Heene when they said they feared their 6-year-old son was aboard the balloon. The boy was later found at the family's Fort Collins home, where he said he'd been hiding because he was afraid he was in trouble.

Two days later, Alderden accused the Heenes of perpetrating a hoax for publicity and said he would recommend criminal charges. He said he had only pretended to believe the couple to gain their confidence while deputies investigated.

Since then, he's received e-mails that praise him as a hero or denounce him as a bumbler. A Denver Post editorial suggested his public pretense about believing the Heenes will make residents more cynical about law enforcement.

But people who know Alderden say he's a dedicated officer who has raised his department's professionalism in this county of 290,000 residents.

"He's no-nonsense" but has a sense of humor, said Lance Clem, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Public Safety, who served with Alderden on a state crime task force. "I would call him a likable guy."

Alderden describes himself as a patriot. He's a big fan of John Wayne and calls his blog "The Bull's-eye: Straight Shooting From the Sheriff."

When his son, 32-year-old John W. Alderden, served 10 days in the Larimer County jail over a traffic fine this year, the sheriff said he ordered his staff to treat his son like any other inmate.

"As a father, I am embarrassed and disappointed in him," the sheriff told the Fort Collins Coloradoan. "We spoke by phone when he was in booking, and he asked for the money to pay his fine. I declined."

Calls to the son's home phone were not answered Friday.

In a blog entry Wednesday, the sheriff said he didn't like the media attention the balloon case generated but that was proud of his department's response. He didn't respond to an interview request Friday.

Alderden was born in 1951 in the Chicago area. A biography provided by his office said he holds a bachelor's degree in business administration but doesn't say where he went to school.

He started his law-enforcement career in 1972 with the police department at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. After stints with the Estes Park and Steamboat Springs police, he joined the Larimer County Sheriff's department as a patrol deputy in 1979.

He rose through the ranks until then-Sheriff Richard Shockley promoted him to undersheriff in 1990. Shockley told The Associated Press that he fired Alderden in 1991 because they disagreed on management style.

Shockley said his own approach was participatory but that Alderden "was more of a structured authoritarian, if you will."

Alderden then worked as a criminal investigator for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation in suburban Denver until 1998, when he returned to Larimer County, ran against Shockley and won.

It was a hard-fought race, with Alderden arguing for fewer restrictions on private citizens carrying concealed weapons.

Shockley, now 71 and heading the corrections department for the sheriff of Hamilton County, Tenn., said he has no hard feelings.

"As far as I can tell, he's done a good job there over the past 10 years," Shockley said. "The people of Larimer County have elected him three times, and who am I to question how he does things?"

Alderden has raised his department's morale and standards, said Kathay Rennels, chairwoman of the Larimer County commissioners. She rates his performance as "excellent" despite their tangles over budget issues.

But Alderden has been sharply critical of the commissioners on issues ranging from benefits for same-sex couples to his right to express his views on the county Web site.

When commissioners approved benefits for the unmarried partners of county employees, including same-sex couples, Alderden ridiculed the move in his blog. He objected to the cost but said moral and religious objections were also valid.

When commissioners suggested Alderden shouldn't use the county Web site to espouse his opinions, he called them the "Board of County Censors" and moved his department's Web pages to another site outside the commissioners' control.

Alderden also took aim in his blog at the Fort Collins City Council for debating whether Christmas displays on city property should be more secular and less Christian. He said Christianity was under attack and invited the public to help decorate a privately funded Christmas tree — "not a holiday tree" — on the grounds of his county-owned complex.

Alderden, a Republican, was re-elected in 2002 and 2006 without opposition. He can't run again because of term limits, and his plans after leaving office in January 2011 aren't clear.

___

On the Net:

Jim Alderden's blog, http://www.larimersheriff.org/Bullseye/


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091025/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy_sheriff

[lorettalockhorn]

>>much of what's on TV is "garbage."

You got that right, pard. (Too bad I'm addicted to some of it. :punch: I really, really have to stop quoting Khloe Kardashian.:punch: )

[samanthajane13]

Hell yeah, Loretta!!

[wind149]

Loretta?? What did you just say? You watch the K-hos??? Those broads are jst as bad at Paris, famous because their families have money and they are as useless as Paris too. One just calved out a kid and one just got married so does that mean they will still be DOING ALL OF MIAMI??? I admit I watch that Operation Repo as I find it funnier than hell and oh so staged!!! I love Dog and I will always be loyal to him and I liked the one show A&E had on and I don't know if it was canceled, I am assuming it was and that was the Exterminators and seeing as I am freaked out over bees and wasps and highly allergic to boot, my heart was in my throat as these guys boldly walk up to a huge nest of mean nasty wasps and just zaps it with some stuff that freezes their extroskeleton and they drop dead and I have found Windex works good too and then they walked into a house so loaded with roaches, I was amazed they got them all and gators and other critters and these are the good reality shows people working at jobs that are not glamorous and full of brain dead bimbos and equally brain dead young men, it is not fun to zap wasps and chase bail jumpers, but someone has to do it and these families do it and do it well.

This is reality, not some dumb challenge to win the right to boink an aging rock star with a major ego problem, I remember we went to see Poison this summer and Bret spent the first 15 minutes blathering about himself and the hooker he picked on ROL3 and I was like, enough already!! And ya notice the theme on some of these rather stupid ones involve challenges??? Like who will win Bret's heart by rolling in the mud with your fake boobs popping out all over the place? Or what bimbo is gonna shake her tits and ass in front of TO's face the sluttiest? What bimbo is gonna win the fat guys heart by cooking him a 5,000 calorie meal? Is it any wonder this world is f*cked up??? No one cares about anything decent or good, and people are murdering other people, sex offenders are raping and molesting and murdering kids? Mothers are murdering their own kids or someone else's? Or like this asswipe, making his kids lie to so he can become a STAR? I am so glad I am not raising kids in this day and age, you can't even let them walk down the street or to and from school without worrying they might get snapped and hell, they can't even play in their own yards!! and there is violence on TV shows and videos and games and some of these warped kids act on what they see that is supposed to be "entertainment"?? Maybe the Myan's are right, maybe the world will end in 2012.

[lorettalockhorn]

Wind, I know I should be soooooooo ashamed that I watch Keeping Up With the Ks, but I can't help it. Kris and Bruce are sorta haplessly fascinating. Ed Wynn said a comic says funny things; a comedian says things funny, and I think that suits Khloe to a tee. I watch other pure D old crap, but the Kardashians are probably the worst of it. (Well, if you don't count the Real Housewives, that is.)

I should wear the scarlet letter

http://rlv.zcache.com/fancy_letter_k_sticker-p217845660879974640qjcl_400.jpg

[samanthajane13]

Balloon mom may have admitted hoax to protect kids
By COLLEEN SLEVIN, Associated Press Writer Colleen Slevin, Associated Press Writer – 6 mins ago

DENVER – Friends say the mother of the little boy at the center of the Colorado balloon case is devoted — even subservient — to her inventor husband and her kids, so why would she allegedly tell sheriff's deputies that the whole thing was a hoax?

If Mayumi Heene made that confession — as alleged in a search warrant for the family's home — it may have been to keep her children from being taken away from her, or to spare them from having to testify against her husband, Richard Heene, legal experts said Monday.

"When it comes to incarceration, the bonds of affection only go so far," said Scott Robinson, a Denver trial lawyer and legal analyst.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden has said he'll recommend criminal charges of conspiracy, making a false report to authorities and attempting to influence a public servant. He's also asked that child protective services investigate the children's well-being.

The county district attorney's office received the case from the sheriff's department Monday but said it had requested more information. Richard Heene's lawyer, David Lane, also asked prosecutors Monday to probe whether Alderden violated state privacy laws when he told reporters child protective services had been contacted.

Alderden claims the Oct. 15 flight was a stunt to generate publicity for the Heenes. Both Mayumi and Richard Heene placed calls claiming 6-year-old Falcon may have been inside the balloon as it drifted 50 miles across northern Colorado. The world watched with horror as the balloon landed without the boy — then worried that he may have fallen thousands of feet to his death.

Falcon was found hiding in the rafters of the family's garage.

The Heenes have publicly denied any hoax. But a search warrant affidavit said Mayumi Heene, 45, told an investigator on Oct. 17 that the balloon was released intentionally and that the couple knew Falcon was hiding.

According to the affidavit released late Friday, Heene said the stunt was intended to make the family "more marketable for future media interest" and that the three boys had been instructed to lie to authorities and the media.

Mayumi Heene's lawyer, Lee Christian, didn't respond to several telephone messages Monday.

Lane dismissed the alleged statement as hearsay, adding that it could only be used against Mayumi Heene, not her 48-year-old husband, unless she were to take the stand against him and submit to cross examination.

Lane wouldn't discuss whether the Heenes were still together.

"I'm not their marriage counselor," he said.

Robinson said it's not unusual for spouses to turn against each other when facing criminal charges. He said Mayumi Heene may have made the confession with an eye toward helping herself and for that reason lawyers could call its reliability into question.

The alleged statement may not be admissible in court, cautioned Karen Steinhauser, a former Denver prosecutor, if Heene wasn't warned of her rights to have a lawyer or not to speak — or if she was threatened with the loss of her children.

The alleged statement doesn't mean that Heene would willingly testify against her husband should charges be filed, said Steinhauser, now an adjunct professor at the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law.

Spouses generally can't be forced to testify against each other because of laws giving privilege to conversations between husbands and wives, similar to those protecting lawyers from talking about their discussions with a client. Colorado and many other states make exceptions to that.

In Colorado, spouses can be called to the stand to discuss their private conversations if they concern plotting a crime, Steinhauser said.

Wendy Murphy, a Boston attorney and victims advocate, speculated one incident may have prompted Mayumi Heene to cooperate with investigators if she thought that would help protect her children.

In February, a deputy responding to a 911 hang-up call suspected that a fight may have taken place at the Heene home, but no charges were filed. Alderden has said officials unsuccessfully tried to persuade Mayumi Heene to go with her sons to a safe house.

"If she really is in a volatile relationship, then no matter what happens with the balloon boy case, she benefits," Murphy said.

___

Associated Press writer Ivan Moreno contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091026/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy_mom

[lorettalockhorn]

I was surprised and a little appalled that Nancy Grace headlined with this story tonight. For the sake of the children, I really think it should be backburnered since the big story here is how Falcon was exploited. For the media to keep the story front and center and/or devote quite so much attention to it at this point slows the process of him and the other children from the already slim chance of recovering from what the parents have done to them.

I still want to follow the legal process and hope that mom and dad remain under intense scrutiny as far as becoming skilled at parenting, but these boys are doomed if the media doesn't back off at this point. And IMO this is a family that probably needs to be separated [parent(s) from kids].

[samanthajane13]

No decision on charges in Colorado balloon case
By DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer Dan Elliott, Associated Press Writer – Tue Oct 27, 8:43 pm ET

DENVER – Prosecutors said Tuesday they haven't decided whether to file charges against the parents accused of falsely reporting their son was in a runaway balloon, sparking a massive rescue attempt before the boy was found at the family's Fort Collins home.

The father's attorney, David Lane, also announced Tuesday that a special prosecutor has been named to review his complaint concerning the sheriff investigating the couple.

Sheriff's investigators turned their case over to the district attorney on Monday. Prosecutors are waiting for more information from the sheriff before deciding whether to file charges against Richard and Mayumi Heene, Larimer County district attorney's spokeswoman Linda Jensen said.

She would not say what kind of information prosecutors are waiting for or when a decision might be reached.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden has said the Heenes were lying when they reported their 6-year-old son Falcon was in a homemade helium balloon that lifted off from their back yard in Fort Collins on Oct. 15, drifted across two counties and landed in a farm field.

Alderden said the whole thing was a hoax to generate publicity for the couple, who have appeared on the ABC reality show "Wife Swap" and were trying to arrange another show.

Lane, the lawyer representing Richard Heene, claims Alderden broke privacy laws by publicly saying social services were looking into the welfare of Falcon and the Heenes' two other sons, ages 8 and 10.

Lane wrote a letter to the district attorney Monday asking for an investigation and prosecution of Alderden.

He said Tuesday that Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett will investigate his complaint.

"As long as it's not a whitewash investigation, I think it's a step in the right direction," Lane said.

Larimer County District Attorney Larry Abrahamson told the Coloradoan that he sought an outside review because the allegations directly relate to a case that Alderden's office is investigating and Abrahamson's office may prosecute.

Abrahamson's office didn't return an after-hours message from The Associated Press seeking comment. A call to the sheriff's office was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Richard Heene has publicly denied the episode was a hoax, but investigators said Mayumi Heene admitted to them that it was a publicity stunt.

Mayumi Heene's attorney, Lee Christian, declined to comment on his client's alleged confession.

He said Tuesday the couple hasn't split up.

"The family is together trying to make it through all of this," Christian wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

___

Associated Press Writer Colleen Slevin contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091028/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy;_ylt=Ale934zXcgOghSuXSxdMgcJH2ocA;_ ylu=X3oDMTJob2wyYm4wBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkxMDI4L3VzX2 JhbGxvb25fYm95BGNwb3MDNwRwb3MDNwRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0 b3JpZXMEc2xrA25vZGVjaXNpb25vbg--

[samanthajane13]

DA: Sheriff cleared for comments in balloon case

DENVER – Boulder County's district attorney has decided no criminal charges are warranted against the sheriff who disclosed that child welfare workers were involved in the investigation in the runaway balloon case.

Richard Heene's attorney, David Lane, claimed the revelation by Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden violated privacy laws.

Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett, appointed as a special prosecutor to consider Lane's complaint, said Tuesday that Alderden disclosed no information from the Department of Social Services.

Alderden said he wasn't surprised by Garnett's decision, adding that Lane's complaint was typical of the attorney's tactics of "attack, distract and discredit."

Lane responded by saying, "When law enforcement breaks the law, I attack." He added: "Unfortunately I usually have to rely on other law enforcement to do something about it."

Lane said he disagreed with the district attorney's conclusion.

"This is a typical law enforcement investigating law enforcement whitewash," he said. But he added there was nothing he could do about the decision.

The Heenes are under investigation for reporting that their 6-year-old son had drifted away on a homemade balloon that broke loose from its tethers Oct. 16 in Fort Collins. The report set off a mad scramble by police, firefighters, National Guard and media helicopters as the UFO-shaped balloon flew 50 miles across northern Colorado.

The balloon eventually crashed into a field, and authorities soon discovered no one was on board. That sparked fears the boy had fallen out until he was found safe at home. He said he had been hiding because he was afraid he was in trouble.

Alderden has accused the parents of lying and staging a hoax for publicity while trying to land a reality TV show. The Larimer County district attorney is considering whether to file charges against the family.

Lane said it's just a matter of time before the Heenes are charged.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091111/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy

[samanthajane13]

Lawyer: Colo. balloon boy parents to plead guilty
By P. SOLOMON BANDA, Associated Press Writer P. Solomon Banda, Associated Press Writer – 17 mins ago

DENVER – The Colorado parents who reported their 6-year-old son floated away aboard a helium balloon will plead guilty to some charges in an attempt to keep the family together, the attorney for the boy's father said Thursday.

Richard Heene will plead guilty to attempting to influence a public servant, a felony, his attorney David Lane said. Mayumi Heene — a Japanese citizen who could have been deported if convicted of more serious charges — will plead guilty to false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor, he said.

Prosecutors have agreed to allow both to serve probation sentences, Lane said. The Oct. 15 event raised questions about whether the couple were fit parents, and social workers were contacted. Lane didn't address whether the pleas would include monitoring of the couple, and 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.

Keeping the family together was a main factor in reaching the deal, Lane said.

"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."

Richard and Mayumi Heene's frantic calls to authorities, 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. Richard Heene, 48, adamantly denied the saga was a publicity stunt. But Mayumi Heene, 45, admitted the incident was a hoax, according to a search warrant affidavit.

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

"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 in a statement.

___

Associated Press Writer Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091112/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy

[samanthajane13]

Colorado parents plead guilty in balloon boy saga
By P. SOLOMON BANDA, Associated Press Writer P. Solomon Banda, Associated Press Writer – Sat Nov 14, 5:16 am ET

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado parents of three children could wind up in jail after admitting in court they fabricated a story about their son in a runaway balloon to gain publicity for a possible reality TV show.

Richard Heene appeared before a Larimer County District Court judge first, pleading guilty to a felony count of falsely influencing the sheriff who led the rescue effort during the 50-mile balloon chase that captivated a global television audience Oct. 15.

Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of knowingly filing a false report with emergency services. Prosecutors said she had a lower level of culpability and cooperated with authorities, telling investigators the balloon launch was a publicity stunt two weeks in the making.

But even as the Heenes entered their guilty pleas, their attorneys' comments in court set off speculation of talk show appearances or other deals.

Judge Stephen Schapanski agreed to the attorneys' request that the couple be allowed to travel to New York and California to explore "employment opportunities." David Lane, Richard Heene's lawyer, declined to elaborate as he left the courtroom, and Heene waved off questions.

The Heenes are amateur storm chasers and had twice appeared on ABC's "Wife Swap." Richard Heene's business associates said he was trying to pitch a TV series based on science, and the couple had a tentative deal in the works with RDF USA, which produces "Wife Swap."

RDF has said it scrapped the plans after the balloon flight.

At least one New York-based production company ruled out a Heene venture.

"It's just too poisonous," said Irad Eyal, vice president of development at True Entertainment. "I don't think anyone is going to want to meet with a man who shamed his family and children that way. In reality TV, there's a definite line you don't cross, and that's tormenting children."

Lane said the couple would have no public comment at least until sentencing, set for Dec. 23.

Under terms of the plea agreements, Richard Heene faces up to 90 days in jail, probation and a fine. Mayumi Heene could get 60 days, likely to be served in a work-release program, and probation.

Richard Heene also could have to pay restitution for tens of thousands of dollars in costs incurred by police.

Without the deal, the charge against Richard Heene carries a possible sentence of two to six years in state prison and a fine of up to $500,000. The charge against his wife is punishable by up to six months in the county jail and a fine up to $750.

The deal does not call for removing 6-year-old Falcon or the couple's other two children — ages 8 and 10 — from the parents' custody, according to Lane.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden has said the Heenes deliberately released the balloon and falsely reported Falcon may have been inside. The boy was later found safe at the Heenes' home.

The story began to unravel when Falcon Heene said they "did it for the show" during a CNN appearance.

Investigators found evidence Oct. 17 that the Heenes were working with RDF on a reality show, according to court documents released Friday. It wasn't clear when RDF's plans were scrapped, or if the company knew anything about the couple's plan to release the balloon.

RDF didn't immediately respond Friday to phone and e-mail requests seeking comment.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Eloise Campanella said Friday some aspects of the case were still under investigation. She would not comment on RDF.

Lane portrayed his client's decision to enter a plea as a sacrifice to preserve the family and avoid the possibility that Mayumi Heene, a Japanese citizen, could be deported by being convicted of more serious charges.

Lane said prosecutors threatened Mayumi Heene with that prospect. But chief deputy district attorney Andrew Lewis insisted Friday prosecutors never did so.

Richard Heene was asked after the hearing if he had anything to say to those who looked for his son. He didn't respond.

___

Associated Press writers Colleen Slevin, Dan Elliott and Ivan Moreno in Denver and AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang in Los Angeles contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091114/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy


I can't believe this pr!ck risked his wife being deported for his little scam!!

I hope she takes that to heart and RUNS LIKE THE WIND while he's doing his GIFT sentence...JACKASS!!

[Sherlock]

I just hope after all is said and done...that he doesn't get his wish and some opportunistic producer does give him his reality show. I dread that possibility. I for one wouldn't watch it, as a matter of principle (and that goes for Octomom's show....I won't participate in these people's fame whoring) but I know there are many interested viewers who would turn in. Let's hope there isn't a show, and if there is, that the public reaction is so dismal they are cancelled.:cuss:

[Marian Paroo]

I just hope after all is said and done...that he doesn't get his wish and some opportunistic producer does give him his reality show. I dread that possibility. I for one wouldn't watch it, as a matter of principle (and that goes for Octomom's show....I won't participate in these people's fame whoring) but I know there are many interested viewers who would turn in. Let's hope there isn't a show, and if there is, that the public reaction is so dismal they are cancelled.:cuss:

I dunno, doesn't Octosow have a show coming up?

[Sherlock]

I dunno, doesn't Octosow have a show coming up?

Yes that is what they are saying. She has signed the contracts. I was saying that I won't watch it...and I hope people feel like I do and it gets cancelled very shortly. I hate that she is profiting from her actions.

[SaraSidle]

I cannot possibly watch either one.

[samanthajane13]

Balloon Boy parents face sentencing in Colorado
By P. SOLOMON BANDA, Associated Press Writer P. Solomon Banda, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 52 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The parents who pulled off the balloon boy hoax are already facing the prospect of jail time and paying tens of thousands of dollars in restitution over their stunt. An investigator also wants to forbid the couple from making any money off their newfound fame.

Richard and Mayumi Heene are scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to charges that they carried out the stunt in October to promote a reality TV show. The husband faces up to 90 days and jail, and the wife faces up to 60 days.

An investigator thinks the judge shouldn't stop at jail time.

Bob Heffernan, a lead investigator in the case for the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, said there should be limits on how the Heenes might profit from the Oct. 15 hoax, such as through book or TV deals.

"This would hopefully stop the Heenes from being able to exploit their criminal behavior or their children any more than they already have," Heffernan urged District Judge Stephen Schapanski in a letter dated Nov. 30. "All the while the Heenes were playing us all in hopes of making themselves more marketable."

David Lane, Richard Heene's attorney, said nothing in the law allows a judge to impose any such limits.

"That's a First Amendment violation," Lane said.

The Heenes made frantic calls to 911, the news media and the Federal Aviation Administration to report that their 6-year-old son may have been aboard a runaway balloon. That triggered a desperate 50-mile chase as the craft drifted across northern Colorado's plains — and then another desperate search once the balloon landed and the boy was nowhere to be found.

In his letter to the judge, Heffernan described his pain at having to tell the Heenes that their boy was not inside the balloon when it landed in a field.

"I wish I could make you realize the anguish I had when I went into that room," Heffernan said. "To have the Heenes start the grieving process with me trying to comfort them and give them some hope. Then to find out later they were just acting."

He added, "Yeah, it's personal, but I ask you to seek some justice for me and others by ensuring the Heenes' sentence ... reflects this personal anguish the Heenes caused to so many people worldwide."

Lane said he will ask that Richard Heene be spared any jail time.

"Orson Welles didn't go to jail for convincing the world that it was being invaded by Martians, with people panicking and committing suicide," Lane said, referring to Welles' 1938 radio broadcast "War of the Worlds."

"Not everything that happens that's bad in the world requires somebody to go to jail," Lane insisted.

Mayumi Heene's attorney, Lee Christian, did not return phone calls Tuesday.

The Heenes also face possible restitution for search and rescue costs. It wasn't immediately known if District Judge Stephen Schapanski would take up the issue at Wednesday's hearing.

The Larimer County District Attorney's Office estimates total costs at $46,000, according to Lane.

That figure includes $8,000 in sheriff's department overtime. Another $13,500 was spent by law enforcement agencies from the nearby communities of Greeley and Weld County, along with Colorado State University and the U.S. Forest Service, Lane quoted the district attorney as saying. Two National Guard helicopters launched to track the craft cost about $16,000.

Also included are $8,500 in damages to the field where the craft landed.

Lane said he'll demand proof of all damages or extra costs.

The FAA has also informed the Heenes that they may be subject to an $11,000 fine for launching an unauthorized aircraft. The balloon flight forced some commercial aircraft to switch to a different runway at Denver International Airport.

On Monday, sheriff's officials announced that the Heenes acted alone and that their stunt did not include media outlets, as Sheriff Jim Alderden had speculated in October.

Several neighbors of the Heenes said the couple should be punished.

"First thing he should get, he should get a chance to publicly apologize to the nation and let them know that he is really remorseful for what he did because a lot of people were crying and very emotional with this whole saga," said Dean Askew, a friend of Richard Heene who was interviewed during the investigation. "The next thing he should get to do is his time."

Kenneth Seifert, who lives three doors down from the Heenes, said Richard Heene should pay restitution.

"And if he wants to go out and have his reality show, so let him do it," Seifert said.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091223/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy

[beemer]

Parents do get some jail time

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/23/colorado.balloon.boy.sentencing/index.html

[wind149]

They deserve to be in jail for what they tried to pull, so desperate for the camera they USED their own child for their 15 minutes of shame and at least the child came clean on LK otherwise they might have gotten away with it. My heart was in my throat when I saw that balloon soaring in the sky and I kept thinking that this child is going to die or be seriously injured and when LE got the balloon down and found nothing, then I knew that this was a hoax and these morons had been on a lame reality show before and apparently they dug the camera and wanted more of it. And they can't be making money off this stunt for 4 years and by that time, no one is going to want to have anything to do with them. And since Dad was the mastermind it stands to reason he would get the most time, and Mama got 20 days because she could have come clean and didn't as he is a big control freak and Asian woman as a rule obey their husbands. I feel sorry for the kids to have idiots for parents, I can guess they got picked on about this and as selfish as Dad is, he NEVER thought about the harm that he would cause his own kids, he thought only of himself and his camera fix and I can guess also he will not be a popular inmate seeing as he is such an asswipe.:beer:;):biggrin:

[Sherlock]

They deserve to be in jail for what they tried to pull, so desperate for the camera they USED their own child for their 15 minutes of shame and at least the child came clean on LK otherwise they might have gotten away with it. My heart was in my throat when I saw that balloon soaring in the sky and I kept thinking that this child is going to die or be seriously injured and when LE got the balloon down and found nothing, then I knew that this was a hoax and these morons had been on a lame reality show before and apparently they dug the camera and wanted more of it. And they can't be making money off this stunt for 4 years and by that time, no one is going to want to have anything to do with them. And since Dad was the mastermind it stands to reason he would get the most time, and Mama got 20 days because she could have come clean and didn't as he is a big control freak and Asian woman as a rule obey their husbands. I feel sorry for the kids to have idiots for parents, I can guess they got picked on about this and as selfish as Dad is, he NEVER thought about the harm that he would cause his own kids, he thought only of himself and his camera fix and I can guess also he will not be a popular inmate seeing as he is such an asswipe.:beer:;):biggrin:

It is so sad for those kids. Even though they are young, their father has programmed them with strange beliefs and a lack of respect for others. Mom seems to go along with things but I think she has been dominated by Richard for so long she doesn't think for herself. For a guy who was seeking the limelight and throwing his family under the bus to get it, it is sweet satisfaction to see him fall on his face.:D

[samanthajane13]

Just when we thought that balloon-boy's dad's drive for fame was over...


Filmmaker: Movie about balloon dad could clear him
By JOHN ROGERS, Associated Press Writer John Rogers, Associated Press Writer – 31 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – Once Richard Heene admitted in court that he wrongly sent authorities on a wild goose chase across Colorado to save the son he thought was aloft in a runaway balloon, friends and supporters seemed to take off just about as fast as that balloon.

All except for one: Steven C. Barber, a 48-year-old filmmaker who says he still believes Heene really thought his son was in the balloon as it spun wildly through the skies on Oct. 15. He plans to prove it, Barber says, when he releases the documentary "Balloon Boy: Guilty Until Proven Innocent" later this year.

Barber has known Heene for more than 10 years and says he has dozens of hours of film of the backyard inventor pursuing one science project after another. He compiled much of that footage, the filmmaker says, in an effort to help Heene land a TV reality show chronicling his science adventures.

What Heene was trying to do with the balloon, Barber says, was solve the world's traffic problems by creating a cheap, lighter-than-air vehicle that would allow people to float over congested freeways.

Although the idea may sound far-fetched to some, even ridiculous to others, Barber says, Heene is a "mad genius" with a penchant for exploring offbeat scientific theories.

"He's a freakin' genius, a really smart guy — and he's a good guy," Barber, an intense ball of energy, says of Heene as he sits in front of his laptop computer in the breakfast nook of his cluttered beachfront apartment in the heart of Los Angeles' bohemian Venice community.

It is there that Barber is culling through a decade's worth of interviews with Heene, including footage he says he traveled to Colorado to shoot of the balloon before its Oct. 15 launch and footage taken afterward to get Heene's side of the story. He wasn't there on the actual day of the balloon debacle.

He's willing to show only one brief snippet of film, however, taken before the launch, when the balloon was still in pieces on the floor of Heene's Fort Collins, Colo., home and he was explaining how he planned to put it together. Barber said he filmed that segment for one of the many TV show pitches he helped put together for Heene over the years.

"I was out here for years trying to help him get TV shows," he says. "I've gotten him lots of pitches."

Barber declined to show the footage he took after the balloon returned to earth, saying he worries that if any of it is described or Heene is quoted it will only make it harder for him while he's in jail.

Barber, whose previous films include the World War II-era documentary "Return to Tarawa: The Leon Cooper Story," acknowledges he is announcing his plans for "Balloon Boy" just as he is beginning to promote another movie. His documentary, "Unbeaten," on a 267-mile wheelchair race through Alaska, is in theaters in Los Angeles and New York this week in an effort to get consideration for an Oscar at the 2011 Academy Awards.

Although he acknowledges the "Balloon Boy" publicity can't hurt "Unbeaten," Barber says, he's really pursuing the project because he owes it to his friend to try to right a wrong. He adds that he doubts he'll make any money on the venture, claiming investors lost a total of $200,000 on his last two films.

The only documentary filmmakers who profit, he says, are Ken Burns and Michael Moore.

Barber is also adamant that he didn't pay Heene for any of the footage he recorded, either before or after the misadventure. Doing so would violate the terms of Heene's probation and possibly land him in jail for considerably longer than the 90 days he is now doing after pleading guilty to falsely influencing authorities.

Heene sent those authorities racing across Colorado, as millions watched on TV, when he called 911 and said he believed his son was in the balloon.

Barber says he is certain Heene believed what he told authorities was true, and that as Heene himself has said since, he only admitted in court to lying to protect his Japanese-born wife, Mayumi, because he feared she might be deported. She pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Authorities still aren't buying that explanation.

"The bottom line is he entered his plea in court and was advised fully by the judge and the evidence was pretty overwhelming," Linda Jensen, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden declined to discuss Heene, saying through a spokeswoman that he was tired of talking about him. Last week, however, he said the evidence was "overwhelming" that Heene and his wife were guilty of concocting the Balloon Boy scenario so Heene could realize his dream of landing a reality TV series.

Heene's phone has been disconnected, a family spokesman couldn't be located and his lawyer declined to discuss the documentary or Heene's guilty plea.

"I'm not his booking agent, I'm not his entertainment lawyer. You'd have to talk to Richard directly on that and he's in the Larimer County Jail," Heene's criminal lawyer, David A. Lane, said this week.

Which for the time being leaves pretty much just Barber to speak up for him.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100117/ap_en_mo/us_balloon_boy_filmmaker


So...this flock-tard is giving him a feather film documentary!!!!

Can I slap him??

PLEASE????

[samanthajane13]

Balloon boy mom's interviews contradict husband

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The mother of the 6-year-old boy purported to be in a runaway balloon in Colorado repeatedly told authorities it was all a publicity stunt, contradicting what her husband told media before he reported to jail.

The video interviews obtained by the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper show Mayumi Heene telling sheriff's officials that the Oct. 15 event was a hoax that she and her husband orchestrated.

Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty to filing a false report, and her husband, Richard Heene, pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public servant. He began serving a 30-day jail sentence Jan. 11. His wife will serve a 20-day sentence after him.

Richard Heene told The Associated Press before reporting to jail that he truly believed his son was in the balloon but pleaded guilty to prevent his wife from being deported to Japan.

___

Information from: Fort Collins Coloradoan, http://www.coloradoan.com


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100123/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy;_ylt=AhKtvw0SIQkZu2HOhXYw8e9H2ocA;_ ylu=X3oDMTMzcm5qZXBmBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMTIzL3VzX2 JhbGxvb25fYm95BGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDNARw b3MDNARzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xrA2JhbGxvb25ib3 ltbw--

[SaraSidle]

Balloon boy mom's interviews contradict husband

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The mother of the 6-year-old boy purported to be in a runaway balloon in Colorado repeatedly told authorities it was all a publicity stunt, contradicting what her husband told media before he reported to jail.

The video interviews obtained by the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper show Mayumi Heene telling sheriff's officials that the Oct. 15 event was a hoax that she and her husband orchestrated.

Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty to filing a false report, and her husband, Richard Heene, pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public servant. He began serving a 30-day jail sentence Jan. 11. His wife will serve a 20-day sentence after him.

Richard Heene told The Associated Press before reporting to jail that he truly believed his son was in the balloon but pleaded guilty to prevent his wife from being deported to Japan.

___

Information from: Fort Collins Coloradoan, http://www.coloradoan.com


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100123/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy;_ylt=AhKtvw0SIQkZu2HOhXYw8e9H2ocA;_ ylu=X3oDMTMzcm5qZXBmBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMTIzL3VzX2 JhbGxvb25fYm95BGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDNARw b3MDNARzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xrA2JhbGxvb25ib3 ltbw--


I am trying to find my hip boots.