'Balloon Boy' parents to dodge jail - and deportation - in deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to hoax

mc_squared · 13-11-2009, 04:52 PM

'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

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/worl...#ixzz0Wl8O7NOu

Saffire · 13-11-2009, 04:59 PM

:

Quote:
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.

nancyk58 · 13-11-2009, 05:04 PM

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.

NumbersGirl · 13-11-2009, 05:11 PM

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...

Saffire · 13-11-2009, 05:22 PM

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.

mc_squared · 13-11-2009, 06:03 PM

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.

nancyk58 · 13-11-2009, 06:09 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by mc_squared;3686472
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.

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.

Saffire · 13-11-2009, 06:11 PM

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.

mc_squared · 13-11-2009, 06:47 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Saffire;3686494
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.

Saffire · 13-11-2009, 06:49 PM

Hundreds of journalists were in town, renting rooms at motels and eating at local diners.

mc_squared · 13-11-2009, 06:54 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Saffire;3686571
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?

Saffire · 13-11-2009, 07:21 PM

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!

jenflor · 13-11-2009, 07:58 PM

So, Saffire, do you think they shouldn't face any consequence for what they did?

EmmaLouiseSmyth · 13-11-2009, 08:03 PM

They should deport them
.... with big balloons,
just tie them on and hope for the best

Or community service may suffice too.

Saffire · 13-11-2009, 08:17 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by jenflor;3686705
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.

13-11-2009, 04:52 PM	#1
mc_squared Banned Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 67,519 My Mood: Location: Wherever life takes me Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	'Balloon Boy' parents to dodge jail - and deportation - in deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to hoax '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/worl...#ixzz0Wl8O7NOu __________________ LIFE ISN'T MEANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY Be yourself, no matter what anyone else thinks. Work to live - don't live to work...................... Age is purely a state of mind! Don't waste your time on jealousy. Success is a journey, NOT a destination. Life is a marathon, NOT a sprint! http://www.generationterrorists.com/...sunscreen.html

13-11-2009, 04:59 PM	#2
Saffire Classically liberal. Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 4,406 My Mood: Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	: Quote: 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.

13-11-2009, 05:04 PM	#3
nancyk58 Coldplayer Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 31,438 My Mood: Location: Near Copenhagen Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 865 Thanked 189 Times in 139 Posts	"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. __________________ Roskilde 5 July 2009 Herning 16 August 2009 *HELP CHILE* AND HAITI by making DONATIONS to ONE OF THESE RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS:** BritishRedCross's CHILE Earthquake Appeal: http://www.redcross.org.uk/donatesection.asp?id=77029 www.oxfam.org.uk - www.redcross.org - www.unicef.org - www.icrc.org or Disasters Emergency Committee receiving donations made on phone 0370 60 60 900 + through website www.dec.org.uk. Go to www.oxfamamerica.org, or text OXFAM to 25383 to make a one-time $10 donation to Oxfam’s Haiti Earthquake Response Fund. Donations possible via text, phone or the "Hope for Haiti" Web site until July 2010 VIVA LA VIDA / VIVA COLDPLAYING.COM MAKE PEACE - NOT WAR !!

13-11-2009, 05:11 PM	#4
NumbersGirl sooner or later Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 9,528 Country: Fav. CP song: I Ramsterdam Atrouble Fav. CP member: Chat posts: 10 Thanks given: 71 Thanked 182 Times in 100 Posts	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... __________________ there is no Carrie, only Zuul... the mongrel cat with the crazy-kitten smile

13-11-2009, 06:03 PM	#6
mc_squared Banned Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 67,519 My Mood: Location: Wherever life takes me Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	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. __________________ LIFE ISN'T MEANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY Be yourself, no matter what anyone else thinks. Work to live - don't live to work...................... Age is purely a state of mind! Don't waste your time on jealousy. Success is a journey, NOT a destination. Life is a marathon, NOT a sprint! http://www.generationterrorists.com/...sunscreen.html

13-11-2009, 05:22 PM	#5
Saffire Classically liberal. Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 4,406 My Mood: Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	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.

13-11-2009, 06:09 PM	#7
nancyk58 Coldplayer Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 31,438 My Mood: Location: Near Copenhagen Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 865 Thanked 189 Times in 139 Posts	Balloon Boy Quote: Originally Posted by mc_squared;3686472 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. 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. __________________ Roskilde 5 July 2009 Herning 16 August 2009 *HELP CHILE* AND HAITI by making DONATIONS to ONE OF THESE RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS:** BritishRedCross's CHILE Earthquake Appeal: http://www.redcross.org.uk/donatesection.asp?id=77029 www.oxfam.org.uk - www.redcross.org - www.unicef.org - www.icrc.org or Disasters Emergency Committee receiving donations made on phone 0370 60 60 900 + through website www.dec.org.uk. Go to www.oxfamamerica.org, or text OXFAM to 25383 to make a one-time $10 donation to Oxfam’s Haiti Earthquake Response Fund. Donations possible via text, phone or the "Hope for Haiti" Web site until July 2010 VIVA LA VIDA / VIVA COLDPLAYING.COM MAKE PEACE - NOT WAR !!

13-11-2009, 06:11 PM	#8
Saffire Classically liberal. Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 4,406 My Mood: Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	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.

13-11-2009, 06:47 PM	#9
mc_squared Banned Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 67,519 My Mood: Location: Wherever life takes me Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	Quote: Originally Posted by Saffire;3686494 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. __________________ LIFE ISN'T MEANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY Be yourself, no matter what anyone else thinks. Work to live - don't live to work...................... Age is purely a state of mind! Don't waste your time on jealousy. Success is a journey, NOT a destination. Life is a marathon, NOT a sprint! http://www.generationterrorists.com/...sunscreen.html

13-11-2009, 06:49 PM	#10
Saffire Classically liberal. Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 4,406 My Mood: Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hundreds of journalists were in town, renting rooms at motels and eating at local diners.

13-11-2009, 06:54 PM	#11
mc_squared Banned Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 67,519 My Mood: Location: Wherever life takes me Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	Quote: Originally Posted by Saffire;3686571 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? __________________ LIFE ISN'T MEANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY Be yourself, no matter what anyone else thinks. Work to live - don't live to work...................... Age is purely a state of mind! Don't waste your time on jealousy. Success is a journey, NOT a destination. Life is a marathon, NOT a sprint! http://www.generationterrorists.com/...sunscreen.html

13-11-2009, 07:21 PM	#12
Saffire Classically liberal. Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 4,406 My Mood: Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	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!

13-11-2009, 07:58 PM	#13
jenflor Give me love over this... Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 2,335 My Mood: Location: Texas Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 5 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts	So, Saffire, do you think they shouldn't face any consequence for what they did? __________________ I think I should have no other mortal wants, if I could always have plenty of music. - George Eliot last.fmlltumblr Proud Keeper of "Trouble" live in Dallas, 07/21/09:: "Nightswimming" with Michael Stipe on ACL:: Chris' VIVA piano::"Give me love over this..." 06/10/09 gig in San Antonio, TX::

13-11-2009, 08:03 PM	#14
EmmaLouiseSmyth smile like you mean it. Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 14,953 My Mood: Location: Rand McNally Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 12 Thanked 94 Times in 62 Posts	They should deport them .... with big balloons, just tie them on and hope for the best Or community service may suffice too. __________________ Quote: Originally Posted by Brent I mean if I had to choose the way I was going to die, Chris Martin running me over with a rolling desk chair would be at the top of the list tumblr twitter

13-11-2009, 08:17 PM	#15
Saffire Classically liberal. Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 4,406 My Mood: Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Quote: Originally Posted by jenflor;3686705 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.