It was just a bunch of hot air.
A Colorado sheriff plans to file criminal charges against the family of a 6-year-old boy whose televised fictional hot-air balloon escapade captured the world’s attention last week.
“We were looking at Class 3 misdemeanor, which hardly seems serious enough given the circumstances,” Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said yesterday of the Heene family, which reported their son, Falcon, had drifted away in a flying saucer-like balloon Thursday.
The precocious tot was later found safe, hiding in the attic of their Fort Collins home.
“We are talking to the district attorney [and] federal officials to see if perhaps there aren’t additional federal charges that are appropriate in this circumstance,” Alderden said.
The specific charge is unclear, but filing a false report is a Class 3 misdemeanor.
Richard Heene and his wife, Mayumi, were questioned by investigators for several hours yesterday and released. It is not known who will be charged.
“Never heard of that,” Richard said after being asked if he was facing charges.
He then turned to a throng of reporters outside of the sheriff’s office and said: “I don’t feel safe with you guys around me.”
During their parents’ grilling, the Heene’s three sons remained at their home. The sheriff’s office executed a search warrant late last night but declined to say what they were looking for.
A raucous pack of gawkers had gathered outside, shouting “Balloon Boy!”
One carried a sign that said “Put balloon boy on TV: America’s Most Wanted.” Others carried aluminum foil stovetop popcorn makers that resembled the homemade craft that sparked the media frenzy.
Authorities have asked child-protective services workers to investigate the family, according to The Denver Post.
Meanwhile, the fame-obsessed Richard Heene reportedly discussed staging a hoax involving his weather balloon months ago to grab attention for a reality-TV show he was pitching.
Robert Thomas, a researcher who shared Heene’s interest in wacky scientific technology, said that the dad was bent on getting his own reality show after an appearance on ABC’s “Wife Swap” whet his appetite for the small screen, Gawker reported yesterday.
The Heenes appeared on two episodes of the series and Richard was desperate to get back on TV as his construction business was going down the tubes, Thomas told Gawker.
Heene started shopping around an eccentric ” ‘Mythbusters’ meets mad scientist” series in which he would test various scientific theories, said Thomas, who was paid an undisclosed amount for the interview.
To promote the show, Heene spoke with Thomas about pulling a “media stunt” involving a weather balloon, Thomas said.
“How much do you want to bet we could facilitate some sort of media stunt that would be equally profound as Roswell and we could do so with nothing more than a weather balloon and some controversy,” he quoted Heene’s written proposal as saying.
“The result will be a dramatic increase in local and national awareness about The Heene Family, our Reality Series as well as the UFO Phenomenon in general.”