Sheriff: Heenes ‘manipulated’ authorities and media; felony charges may be filed

Storm chaser and wife swapper Richard Heene apparently was further ahead on plans for a new reality show, “Fool the Media,” than he let on. Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said a preview of the show was offered Thursday when Heene and wife Mayumi reported their 6-year-old son was aboard a runaway helium balloon, possibly headed to his death.

Now the parents of Falcon Heene face possible misdemeanor and felony charges. Alderden mentioned making a false report to police, conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and attempting to influence a public servant. Conspiracy to do anything illegal can be prosecuted as a felony whether or not a crime has been committed.

“Clearly we were manipulated by the family, and the media was manipulated by the family. These people are actors. Needless to say, they put on a very good show for us, and we bought it,” Alderden said in a news conference covered by the Fort Colllins Coloradoan, and state and national media Sunday. Alderden also said an unidentified entertainment company may have helped.

The Heenes had no immediate comment after Alderden’s news conference. Richard Heene had repeatedly said, “It absolutely was not a hoax.”

“It has been determined that this is a hoax,” Alderden said, “that it was a publicity stunt. And we believe we have evidence at this point to indicate that this was a publicity stunt in hopes to better market themselves for a reality show.” The sheriff said the Heenes, who already have considerable reality television experience, with not one but two appearances on Wife Swap, met in acting school.

The whole nation and most of the world that was awake watched in fascination and fear as the mylar balloon, which looked like a midget spaceship or mushroom, drifted southeast in the face of the Rocky Mountains.

Though it was a rural area, power lines and airplanes became threats. Some traffic from Denver International Airport had to be re-routed briefly for at least 15 minutes.

People from Denver to Fort Collins, 60 miles to north, watched intently. The public was warned to stay away, that trying to help could intefere with rescue efforts.

Although there was no official way to confirm it, the “balloon boy” story quickly became maybe the fastest Internet meme since the phenomenon was first observed two or three years ago. It was the biggest search topic on Google and trending topic on Twitter.

When the balloon landed north of DIA, people were holding their breath, hoping that Falcon had survived. Rescue workers were all over the area, but a single man grabbed the balloon’s tethers. An earlier photo of something falling off the balloon raised fears the boy might have fallen to his death.

Instead, Falcon had been hiding in the attic in the family’s garage in Fort Collins. The media, as Daily Show host Jon Stewart predicted, quickly turned on both the family and the sheriff. Alderden and his staff had given their public support of the family and said the last thing they wanted was to discourage people from calling 911.

“We anticipate criminal charges will be filed sometime in the near future,” Alderden said.

The boy had said it was “for the show,” but his remark was construed by some to refer to him climbing into his attic lair to show camera people that he could actually get in the attic.