Colorado governor pardons ‘Balloon Boy’ parents

DENVER — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday pardoned the parents responsible for the 2009 “Balloon Boy” hoax, saying the couple had suffered enough since claiming their 6-year-old son was trapped inside a helium balloon flying over Fort Collins.

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Richard and Mayumi Heene created the elaborate hoax in October 2009, claiming their son was trapped in a homemade UFO-shaped silver helium balloon in 2009 that traveled 50 miles across Colorado, KDVR reported. National Guard helicopters and Colorado police pursued the balloon for more than an hour.

The boy was later found hiding in the family’s attic, and law enforcement concluded the incident was a hoax, KUSA reported.

The stunt attracted worldwide attention.

“As soon as I come down, I’ll let you know,” Richard Heene told The Denver Post from his home in Gainesville, Florida, on Wednesday. “I’m flying high. This is just fantastic.”

Richard Heene told the newspaper that the couple had applied for a pardon a year ago. They had not heard anything until receiving a telephone call. Because the number was unknown, Richard Heene let it go to voicemail. That is when he heard the message from Polis’ office.

Richard Heene pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public servant in November 2009, KDVR reported. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution. Mayumi Heene was sentenced to 20 days of weekend jail, the television station reported.

“We are all ready to move past the spectacle from a decade ago that wasted precious time and resources of law enforcement officials and the general public,” Polis said in a news release. “Richard and Mayumi have paid the price in the eyes of the public, served their sentences, and it’s time for all of us to move on.

“It’s time to no longer let a permanent criminal record from the balloon boy saga follow and drag down the parents for the rest of their lives.”

Cox Media Group