Balloon Boy Parents Forgiven by Colorado Governor

Governor Jared Polis on Wednesday pardoned the parents behind the 2009 “Balloon Boy” scam, saying that Richard and Mayumi Heene have suffered enough since they claimed their 6-year-old son was trapped inside a helium balloon in silver disk shape that flew away from his home in Fort Collins.

Speaking from his home in Gainesville, Florida, Richard Heene told The Denver Post that as of Wednesday afternoon, he and his wife had heard nothing about a year’s forgiveness request. But then he got a call from an unknown number on Wednesday, let it go to voicemail and listened to the message from the governor’s office.

“As soon as I come down, I’ll let you know,” said Heene. “I’m flying high. This is just fantastic. “

Polis has granted clemency to 20 other people, including commuting the sentences of a man who received one of the longest prison sentences in state history for a white-collar crime and another that has become a meeting place for those who want the governor reduces the state’s prison population as the coronavirus pandemic rages behind bars.

Others who received clemency were habitual drug offenders or people convicted of crimes like theft and forgery.

Of the 22 who received clemency, 18 were pardoned, meaning that their criminal convictions will be erased from their records. The remaining four had their prison sentences commuted, meaning they will be released on probation on January 15. Polis called clemency a second chance.

“These individuals took responsibility for their previous actions, paid a price for society and demonstrated the ability to transform and live responsibly,” he said in a statement.

Since the pandemic began in March, defenders of prisoners have pressured the governor to release older, medically vulnerable prisoners who are at risk of dying or suffering serious health problems if they contract COVID-19. They were disappointed that Polis did not release more people.

“Despite all of our advocacy around this issue, it is disappointing that the governor is letting only four people leave,” said Denis Maes, director of public policy for ACLU Colorado. “When you look at his press release about all that mercy and redemption, four people don’t really do that.”

“Ballooning is over”

Although Mayumi and Richard Heene have served minor sentences on charges that originated more than a decade ago, the Menino Balão incident has gained national notoriety and is still talked about in Colorado.

People across the country followed the journey of the hand-made device that floated more than 50 miles (80 km) before crashing into a Weld County field – only to be found empty when it landed. A deputy thought he saw something fall from the balloon, which led to a massive search for the boy that involved the National Guard.

Ultimately, it ended when the boy, Falcon, came out of hiding in his parents’ attic. After the incident, Falcon said in a TV interview that it was “for the show”, and his mother later told investigators that the entire incident was a scam. But the couple has since claimed that they really believed their son was in the balloon, and they only pleaded guilty because they were pressured to do so to avoid Mayumi Heene’s potential deportation to Japan. She was a Japanese citizen at the time and has since moved on. became a citizen of the United States.

Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty to misdemeanor or false report to the authorities and Richard Heene of crime for attempting to influence a public servant.

“You and your husband were involved in a high-profile incident that attracted attention across Colorado and across the country,” wrote Polis in his letter to Mayumi Heene. “You wrote to me that you regret that anything you have done may have caused harm or inconvenience to someone. I believe in you and trust that the legal and social consequences that you have suffered in the years that followed will prevent you from repeating your previous mistakes. “

David Lane, who represented Richard Heenes in the criminal case and helped the couple apply for forgiveness, said, after 11 years, “ballooning is over.”

Richard Heene said that he and his wife are excited about the opportunity to overcome the 2009 incident. He plans to focus his efforts on working with his children in his business, and now, with no crime on his record, vote and maybe even apply. to appear on the television program “Shark Tank”.

“It’s like a new release,” he added.

Cut sentences for older offenders

Others who received clemency served far longer sentences than the Heenes.

Anthony Martinez was sentenced in 1989 to life in prison with the possibility of parole on a second-degree theft conviction and a five-year sentence in 1993 for second-degree assault. Now 84 and suffering from kidney failure and dementia, Martinez is the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the governor and the Colorado Department of Corrections over the dangers of coronavirus inside prisons.

Now, with his commuted sentence, Martinez will be released on January 15 and will live with a niece in Pennsylvania who agreed to look after him, Maes said.

“He is certainly not a danger to the community,” said Maes.