'Balloon Boy' adventure dubbed a 'hoax' for a potential reality TV show

Although no charges have been filed yet, this afternoon the Larimer County, Colorado sheriff Jim Alderden announced that Richard and Mayumi Heene's son Falcon was part of a publicity stunt. "It has been determined that this is a hoax,” said Alderden. “This was a publicity stunt done with the hopes of better marketing themselves for a reality show in the future.

"After the facts we have learned that these people are actors," said Alderden. "They put on a very good show for us, and we bought it."

According to Alderden, potential charges against the parents might include conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, filing a false report to authorities, and attempting to influence a public servant.

Six-year-old Falcon Heene is the boy who made national headlines last week when his parents told the local media and law enforcement that they thought the boy was trapped in a runaway balloon that ended up drifting 50 miles away from the family home. Falcon’s brothers are 8 and 10 years old, and there is evidence that all of the children had “prior knowledge” of the parents’ plans.

Yesterday morning Richard Heene told members of the media assembled on his front lawn that he had “a big announcement,” and later in the day he held up a box and requested that reporters place their questions in it. Richard and Mayumi Heene spent most of yesterday afternoon talking with law enforcement officials.

Over the weekend it was reported that the Heene family contacted the FAA first, followed by a local television station, before calling 911 to help locate their son after the balloon became unmoored and started floating away on Thursday afternoon. The sheriff’s department is still determining the exact timeline. The three-hour chase ensued that re-routed air traffic over Denver International Airport, and also took up resources from the National Guard and North American Air Defense (NORAD).

After Falcon was discovered safe in his family’s home, the Heene family did several interviews with the national media. On a Thursday night interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Falcon said to his parents, "you said we did this for a show" when he was asked why he did not come out of hiding when he heard his parents calling for him. "It wasn't until the Larry King show when the family was interviewed by Wolf Blitzer…It became very clear to us that they were lying." Alderden said during today’s press conference.

The following morning Richard Heene told the Today Show’s Meredith Vieira that he was “ticked off” that he was getting questions from the media that implied that the runaway balloon was part of a larger publicity stunt or hoax. Falcon vomited twice during the live interview on NBC, and also had to be taken off camera when he became ill during an interview a few minutes earlier with ABC’s Good Morning America.

The Heene family had also released a video tape to Inside Edition that showed Falcon saying on camera that he was going to try to sneak inside the balloon. The footage captures the moment at which the balloon became airborne, and Richard’s angry reaction that the balloon had not been properly tethered.

For more Info: Read a related Examiner story.