In 2009, authorities chased a silver UFO-like helium balloon as it flew over northern Colorado, fearing a boy was trapped inside. The frantic rescue effort took place live on television, but when the balloon landed, there was no boy inside.
The 6-year-old boy was found hiding in an attic above the garage of his family’s home in Fort Collins, Colorado. The story of his parents – who feared he was trapped inside the balloon that floated away from his backyard – seemed to unravel that night in an interview with CNN in which the boy, Falcon, said that “we did it for the show.”
On Wednesday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis granted full and unconditional forgiveness to Falcon’s parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, who were accused of fabricating a scam to generate interest in a possible reality show.
In a statement, Polis said: “We are all ready to overcome the spectacle of a decade ago, which wasted the precious time and resources of the police and the general public.”
In an interview on Thursday, Heene said his family believed at the time that Falcon, now 17, was in the balloon, and that the media did not give him a chance to prove his innocence. Forgiveness, he said, “was the best news I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Mr. Heene pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a civil servant, a crime, and was sentenced to 90 days in prison. Ms. Heene pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for submitting a false report and spent 20 days in prison. The couple was ordered to pay $ 36,000 in restitution, the Associated Press reported.
“Richard and Mayumi paid the price in the public eye, fulfilled their sentences and it’s time for us all to move on,” said Polis. “It’s time not to allow a permanent criminal record of the balloon boy saga to follow and drag parents for the rest of their lives.”
The Heenes reported Falcon’s disappearance on October 15, 2009. The family said they believed the Falcon was in the disk-shaped balloon, which Heene was building, because the Falcon was close to him before he broke free and flew away.
The balloon, about 6 meters wide and 2 meters long, rose thousands of meters in the air and flew more than 60 miles over a predominantly rural strip in northern Colorado, while winds sometimes reached 20 miles per hour.
Traffic at Denver International Airport was disrupted when dozens of agencies joined the rescue effort, including the National Guard, which deployed two helicopters.
After the boy was found safe at home, Jim Alderden, the sheriff of Larimer County at the time, told reporters that “the anguish and anguish this family was experiencing was genuine and the relief they felt when he reappeared was genuine” .
He added: “I cannot imagine that he would have been instructed to hide by his parents”.
However, days later, in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Alderden called the episode a “farce”. Investigators, he said, believe the rescue “was a publicity stunt” by the family to promote itself for a future reality television show.
Before the balloon adventure, the family had appeared on “Wife Swap”, a reality show in which two women exchange their lives and family for two weeks.
Heene’s lawyer, David Lane, said on Thursday that Heene had a strong defense, but was coerced into pleading guilty.
“Prosecutors in this case came to me and said that if Richard doesn’t accept a felony conviction and does 30 days in prison, we will do everything in our power to ensure that Mayumi is deported,” said Lane. . (Mrs. Heene is a native of Japan.)
“I know I could have won if we had fought,” said Heene.
The district attorney’s office in Larimer County, where the Heenes pleaded guilty, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After the convictions, the Heenes moved to north central Florida, where they raised their three children at home. Mr. Heene said that his children were “exceptionally well”.
Mr. Heene said that forgiveness would allow him to obtain a general contractor’s license in Florida and that he planned to sign up for the corporate reality show “Shark Tank”.
Kitty Bennett contributed research.