November 13, 200916 yr 'Balloon Boy' parents to dodge jail - and deportation - in deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to hoax By Mail Foreign Service Last updated at 4:03 PM on 13th November 2009 Comments (2) Add to My Stories The parents of America's 'Balloon Boy' will escape jail after pleading guilty to wasting police time. Richard Heene and his wife Mayumi are set to be given probation after a securing a plea deal with prosecutors following their elaborate hoax. The couple had claimed their son Falcon, six, was adrift in a home-made balloon sparking a massive rescue effort that transfixed America. Facing separation: Richard Heene (left), his wife Mayumi, sons six-year-old Falcon Heene (lower left), Bradford (centre) and Ryan (right) speak to reporters at their Colorado home on October 15 The balloon crash lands near the Denver airport in Colorado on October 15. Authorities feared six-year-old Falcon was still inside Heene, 48, had called police to report his son had been swept up in the silver flying saucer shaped balloon from their home in Colorado. His wife Mayumi, 45, also made a tearful phone call begging for help. Millions of people across the U.S. watched the saga on television for nearly two hours as military aircraft tracked the balloon in the air and rescuers chased it on the ground. But Mayumi Heene later admitted the whole thing was a hoax and that Falcon was safe in their home the whole time. The couple, who had appeared on 'Wife Swap', had wanted to raise their profile and secure a reality TV deal. They initially denied making up the balloon story, but Falcon let slip it was a hoax on live TV when he said: 'We did this for the show'. Court documents released last month said the couple hatched the plan about two weeks before the incident and 'instructed their three children to lie to authorities as well as the media regarding this hoax'. Richard Heene pleaded guilty today to making an offence of attempting to influence a public servant. His wife is set to plead guilty to making a false report to authorities. The couple appeared in court in Denver, Colorado today. Heene had been charged with more serious offences that carried a prison sentence of up to six years. Prosecutors agreed to the couple being given probation. Heene's lawyer David Lane said they had agreed to a plea deal as Mayumi Heene is a Japanese citizen, and any felony conviction could result in her deportation. Social services have yet to decide if the family of five will be allowed to stay together. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1227270/Balloon-boy-parents-plead-guilty-hoax-mother-faces-deportation-Japan.html#ixzz0Wl8O7NOu
November 13, 200916 yr The parents of America's 'Balloon Boy' will escape jail after pleading guilty to wasting police time. Anybody who's ever been to America knows the police do a fantastic job of wasting their own time. I have no sympathy for the government in this case. And why the hell was she going to be deported anyway? She's married to an American and has three sons! This is ridiculous.
November 13, 200916 yr "Balloon Boy" Quote: "Heene had been charged with more serious offences that carried a prison sentence of up to six years. Prosecutors agreed to the couple being given probation. Heene's lawyer David Lane said they had agreed to a plea deal as Mayumi Heene is a Japanese citizen, and any felony conviction could result in her deportation. Social services have yet to decide if the family of five will be allowed to stay together. " I wonder if the couple was only saved by the fact that the mother was a Japanese citizen, and that any felony conviction could result in her deportation. If the family (of five ) is allowed to stay together, it seems that they got away with it without any consequence (provided that they behave in future - the probation). The parents 'instructed their three children to lie to authorities as well as the media regarding this hoax'. They are hardly role models as parents. I would like some kind of punishment as precedence so that other parents do not get any "good ideas" to win national fame for some time like the "balloon boy" family! And get away with it without any consequences!! I hope that they will at least have to pay a fine.
November 13, 200916 yr Yes, I think they should at least have to pay for any expenses related to the hoax. Police time, non-police rescue efforts, the black hawk helicopters that were commissioned, any cost associated with commercial flights being delayed due to diverting the flights to other runways/airports...
November 13, 200916 yr How do you get money out of a family that has no money? How are these people supposed to get jobs in this economy with felony convictions? What about their children? You people are showing more sympathy for the Government than this family. Disgusting.
November 13, 200916 yr Author The fairest way to deal with them would be to give them some kind of community service. It didn't do Boy George any harm.;)
November 13, 200916 yr Balloon Boy The fairest way to deal with them would be to give them some kind of community service. It didn't do Boy George any harm.;) Mark, that seems like a superduper idea to me. :thumbsup: This family did the community harm - all the people involved in trying to locate that boy - lots of man hours spent. By following your suggestion the parents will pay a little back. And as you say - community service did not do Boy George and other people, including celebrities any harm. :)
November 13, 200916 yr The family also created a huge media circus that sold a lot of ads for TV news channels. You can look at this any number of ways.
November 13, 200916 yr Author The family also created a huge media circus that sold a lot of ads for TV news channels. I don't see how that benefitted either the community or the emergency services, though.:dozey:
November 13, 200916 yr Hundreds of journalists were in town, renting rooms at motels and eating at local diners. ;)
November 13, 200916 yr Author Hundreds of journalists were in town, renting rooms at motels and eating at local diners. ;) However, on the other side of the coin, taxpayers' money was wasted on mobilising the emergency services. Who knows how high that bill was?:dozey:
November 13, 200916 yr Probably just as high as if the emergency services hadn't been mobilized. These guys are paid a salary regardless of whether they're chasing a balloon or not!
November 13, 200916 yr So, Saffire, do you think they shouldn't face any consequence for what they did?
November 13, 200916 yr They should deport them .... with big balloons, just tie them on and hope for the best :P Or community service may suffice too.
November 13, 200916 yr So, Saffire, do you think they shouldn't face any consequence for what they did? I think they created their own punishment - they embarrassed themselves. I just want the parents to find work and raise their kids right. We don't need to go around fining people who are already broke, and breaking up families.
November 13, 200916 yr Author I think they created their own punishment - they embarrassed themselves. I just want the parents to find work and raise their kids right. We don't need to go around fining people who are already broke, and breaking up families. Which is exactly why community service would fit the bill. They could take it in turns. Maybe the kids could help out too. I'm sure they're capable of picking up some litter.;)
November 14, 200916 yr Anybody who's ever been to America knows the police do a fantastic job of wasting their own time. I have no sympathy for the government in this case. And why the hell was she going to be deported anyway? She's married to an American and has three sons! This is ridiculous. Because the police wanted to make her pay, of course. She technically shouldn't even be being considered for deportation because she's an American citizen, yes? It is a bit ludicrous to try and make them pay for a huge bill they can't even afford, I mean that's why they did this stunt. Ugh. Which is exactly why community service would fit the bill. They could take it in turns. Maybe the kids could help out too. I'm sure they're capable of picking up some litter.;) In Australia they have a thing where children under 10 cannot be charged because in the law's eyes they don't know right from wrong, I suspect the same sort of thing would apply here. Plus, it wouldn't make the police look good to sentence them to it as well, as what happened in that "12 year old father" hoax.
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