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In 2009, an American couple claimed that their son took off from the ground with a helium balloon. The intervention services went to great lengths to save him, but the whole story turned out to be a hoax and the two were convicted, reports the BBC.
After 13 years, the couple was pardoned by Jared Polis, the governor of Colorado. “We are all ready to overcome the spectacle of more than ten years ago,” Polis said.
The man and woman served short prison sentences and had criminal records.
How it all started
Richard and Mayumi Heene told police in Fort Collins, Colorado, that their six-year-old son had lifted himself off the ground in a makeshift helium balloon.
Several television stations broadcast the Heene family’s story for hours, while emergency services and two National Guard helicopters intervened to rescue the boy who was in a huge helium balloon floating at high altitude.
Denver International Airport was temporarily closed during this incident. When the balloon landed in a field, the boy was missing and authorities feared for his safety.
The boy was later found hiding in the attic of his Fort Collins home. The family was interviewed on the Larry King Live program, when the boy appears to have revealed the prank his parents had made on him. When asked why he was hiding in the house, the boy said to his father, “You said, ah, we do this for the show.”
Later, the police announced that they had searched the Heene family home for evidence that they hoped to use the incident to obtain a contract with a television for a reality show. “The plan was to create a situation where it appears that the child is on the balloon and his life is in danger, to get a lot of publicity and notoriety, the ultimate goal is to get a contract for a reality show. said then-Sheriff Jim Alderden.
Police found the balloon to be very fragile, made of cardboard and plywood, and was tied with rope and tape.
On Wednesday, Richard and Mayumi Heene were pardoned by the governor of Colorado, along with 20 other detainees.
“Richard and Mayumi paid the price in the public eye, they served their sentences and it is time for all of us to move on,” said Governor Jared Polis.
Richard Heene spent a month in prison, while his wife was jailed for 20 days and sentenced to a false complaint. At the same time, they were fined $ 36,000.
Publisher: VM
