Balloon Boy a Hoax!

[3113]

Uh-oh....

A lawyer representing the parents accused of concocting a story that their son was in an escaped balloon says his clients are willing to turn themselves in to face any charges. Denver attorney David Lane says he's representing Richard and Mayumi Heene. He says he wants to avoid "the public spectacle and humiliation" of police arresting them in the presence of their children.

Lane says he's advised the family not to make any statements on the matter.
Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said Sunday he expects to recommend felony charges against the Heenes. The parents reported their son was in a balloon that got away from their backyard. The story that a little boy had floated away in a giant helium balloon was a hoax concocted to land a reality television show, authorities said, and the boy's parents will likely face felony charges.

The stunt two weeks in the planning was a marketing ploy by Richard and Mayumi Heene, who met in acting school in Hollywood and have appeared on the ABC reality show "Wife Swap," Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said. The Heenes have reportedly been working on a reality TV deal in Los Angeles. Six-year-old Falcon Heene may not have even been hiding in the rafters of the family's garage during the intense five-hour search for him Thursday, Alderden said. "For all we know he may have been two blocks down the road playing on the swing in the city park," the sheriff said.

The stunt temporarily shut down Denver International Airport and caused the National Guard to scramble two helicopters in an attempt to rescue the boy, who was believed to be inside the flying-saucer shaped homemade balloon that hurtled more than 50 miles across two counties. The drama played out on live television to millions of viewers worldwide. When the balloon landed without the boy in it, officials thought he had fallen out and began grim search for the his body. In fact, the balloon — which was held together with duct tape — would not have been able to launch with the 37-pound-boy inside, Colorado State University physics professor Brian Jones has determined.

Rest of the story here.

One question...why didn't they ask the physicist his opinion about the balloon and the boy when this all started?

 

[Freefall_mc]

Uh-oh....

Rest of the story here.

One question...why didn't they ask the physicist his opinion about the balloon and the boy when this all started?

A HOAX?! Oh myyyyy, say it's not so. I was glad he was found. But yea, a little more investigation and physic's refresher wouldn't have hurt.

 

[sr71plt]

Maybe the physics professor didn't have an opinion on it at that time. Maybe he had to do some computations. And just possibly everyone was so focused on the possibility of it actually happening that no one thought to seek advice on whether it was possible. I don't think my first thought when someone told me a neighborhood boy was in this sort of trouble would be to trot over the local college and ask for a professor's opinion. Seems to me they've latched into it being a hoax quite quickly.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

It's the kind of idea someone trained in Hollywood would come up with. After all, look at most screenplays.

 

[Isid]

It's the kind of idea someone trained in Hollywood would come up with. After all, look at most screenplays.

a writer says this?

 

[voluptuary_manque]

a writer says this?

One who lives fairly near Hollywood.

 

[sr71plt]

I guess my question is whether they still get a reality show gig out of it. Possibilities seem good.

 

[Isid]

gotcha... thanks

 

[voluptuary_manque]

a writer says this?

Hey, I'm male and I dis men. I'm a painter and I dis artists. Why is this different? After all, who would know better the warts behind the makeup?

 

[3113]

I guess my question is whether they still get a reality show gig out of it. Possibilities seem good.

All the way through the trial, I imagine

 

[Isid]

Hey, I'm male and I dis men. I'm a painter and I dis artists. Why is this different? After all, who would know better the warts behind the makeup?

Uhm... confusing answer VM Are you dissing because you doubt the dad who is male or the poster who you might think is male? But agree... the story bogus... but somehow made me smile

 

[jomar]

I guess my question is whether they still get a reality show gig out of it. Possibilities seem good.

I don't think I've seen a reality show about prison yet.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Uhm... confusing answer VM Are you dissing because you doubt the dad who is male or the poster who you might think is male? But agree... the story bogus... but somehow made me smile

No, I'm a SoCal writer (of sorts!) dissing screen writers in Hollywood. Better?

 

[Isid]

No, I'm a SoCal writer (of sorts!) dissing screen writers in Hollywood. Better?

thank you for explaining... can be slow... as in me

 

[sr71plt]

I don't think I've seen a reality show about prison yet.

I'm sure one is in the works.