DENVER (AP) – A couple convicted of criminal charges in the so-called balloon boy rumor, which fascinated the country for more than a decade, was pardoned Wednesday by the governor of Colorado.
Richard and Mayumi Heene reported that their 6-year-old son had floated in a silver helium balloon in the shape of a UFO in 2009.
Dozens of emergency responders and two Colorado National Guard helicopters struggled to save the boy while video of the huge balloon floating high above the ground became national news.
But the child was never in the balloon and was later found unharmed at his home in Fort Collins, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Denver. Authorities said the Heenes staged the ordeal to get publicity for the reality shows they were trying to launch.
Eleven years later, the couple now “paid the price in the public eye” and should not have to be dragged by a criminal record for the rest of their lives, Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement on Wednesday.
“We are all ready to get over the spectacle of a decade ago,” said Polis, a Democrat in his first term.
Richard Heene served a month in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of attempting to influence a public official, and Mayumi Heene was jailed for 20 days for submitting a false report. They were also ordered to pay $ 36,000 in restitution.
The couple told ABC News last year, that was no joke, because they really feared that their son might be on board the balloon when they asked for help.
Polis also issued another 16 pardons and four commutations.