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6 yr. old alone in runaway experimental balloon (1 Viewer)

Stop the media coverage and don't show up to any press conference. There is nothing more to see.
Yes there is - I'd like to see him arrested and make restitution for the rescue effort to the taxpayers of Colorado and Larimer and Weld Counties.
And Adams County... The search and rescue efforts made it that far. But yes, this guy deserves jail time and a hefty hefty bill for the rescue efforts. However, I think this will get done behind the scenes with the authorities - not much the media can do. The media coverage up to this point, minus the one 'unfortunate' question and ensuing ####up from little Falcon, has played entirely into what this nut job wants. I would like to see live coverage of him and his wife being taken from their home in handcuffs.
 
Stop the media coverage and don't show up to any press conference. There is nothing more to see.
Yes there is - I'd like to see him arrested and make restitution for the rescue effort to the taxpayers of Colorado and Larimer and Weld Counties.
on what charges?
Falsifying a 911 call, disturbing the peace, intentional releasing into the atmosphere an unlicensed experimental aircraft... I'm sure there are others, but I think that those charges alone would net maybe a couple months of jail time.
 
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Oh, and for those keeping track of this... Not sure it's been posted yet.

The authorities confirmed the order of Mr. Heene's (we really need a good nickname for this guy) phone calls that morning.

Phone call 1: FAA

Phone call 2: 9 News

Phonce call 3: Larimer County Sheriff's Department

 
Oh, and for those keeping track of this... Not sure it's been posted yet.The authorities confirmed the order of Mr. Heene's (we really need a good nickname for this guy) phone calls that morning.Phone call 1: FAAPhone call 2: 9 NewsPhonce call 3: Larimer County Sheriff's Department
To his credit, the Larimer County Sheriff's Department haven't really shown that they deserved the first call.
 
Oh, and for those keeping track of this... Not sure it's been posted yet.The authorities confirmed the order of Mr. Heene's (we really need a good nickname for this guy) phone calls that morning.Phone call 1: FAAPhone call 2: 9 NewsPhonce call 3: Larimer County Sheriff's Department
To his credit, the Larimer County Sheriff's Department haven't really shown that they deserved the first call.
Very good point... They also don't have a helicopter, whereas 9 News does, and that is the reason he claims to have called them 2nd - wanted to get a chopper up in the air ASAP to find little Falcon and his runaway balloon. There is some logic to the order of calls, really - important to notify the FAA first so they can immediately begin diverting air traffic. Then make sure to get a chopper on the case - although it's questionable that he even knew Larimer County did not in fact have a chopper of its own. And besides, I would think that in a situation where you truly believe your 6 year old son is now floating away from your home, thousands of feet above the ground, in a high voltage compartment made out of cardboard which is hanging beneath a mylar helium powered balloon, it would be very difficult to think that logically.
 
How much was the bill?
Just a partial accounting -
Air National Guard officials said the Black Hawk was in the air for almost three hours with a crew of five, including a medic. The total operating cost was about $4,600 an hour.

The Kiowa helicopter, which is much smaller, was in the air for about one hour at a cost of $700 an hour, officials say.
Link to Denver Post article
The initial costs that were being throw around didn't take into account the cost of the ATC diverting air traffic at DIA... I would think there is some inherent cost in that as well.
 
Sheriff: Charges to be filed in balloon saga

Sheriff: Charges to be filed in balloon saga

Victim advocate enters home; earlier, dad denies any hoax

FORT COLLINS. Colo. - A Colorado sheriff said late Saturday that criminal charges are expected to be filed in the flight of a saucer-like helium balloon that led to a frantic search for a 6-year-old boy believed to be on board —and then to questions about whether the drama had been a hoax.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said significant progress had been made in the investigation and that at least Class 3 misdemeanor charges were likely. Alderden said he was consulting with the Federal Aviation Administration and othe federal agencies on whether other chargers were warranted.

The day's drama included voluntary trips by the boy's parents to the sheriff's office. The sheriff said Richard and Mayumi Heene were not under arrest.

The saga grew stranger by the day. Early Saturday, Richard Heene knocked on the windows of journalists camped outside his home and promised a "big announcement" in a few hours, then did an about-face when he told reporters that they should leave questions in a cardboard box on the front doorstep.

"Absolutely no hoax. I want your questions in the box," Heene said, waving a cardboard box before going back in the home.

A circus-like atmosphere formed outside the home, including men holding signs and occasionally yelling "balloon boy." One sign read, "Put balloon boy on TV: America's Most Wanted."

Others carried aluminum foil stovetop popcorn makers that resembled the silvery balloon launched from the family's backyard Thursday, with 6-year-old Falcon believed to be onboard.

A man pulled a red wagon with coffee for sale. The sign had "$2" scratched out with a new price of $1. Some neighbors stopped by to drop questions of their own in the box.

‘We're trying to figure things out’

Richard Heene later left the house in a red minivan and drove to the sheriff's office. A few hours later, two other people, including a man wearing a shirt identifying him as a Larimer County sheriff's office victim advocate, arrived at the home, and the boy's mother, Mayumi Heene went to the sheriff's office.

The couple's three sons remained home, apparently being watched by sheriff's officials. Authorities wouldn't comment on what was happening.

"We're trying to figure things out. That's all I can say," sheriff's spokeswoman Eloise Campanella said.

Alderden had said that he wanted to re-interview the family after Falcon told CNN that "you said we did this for a show" when asked why he didn't come out of his hiding place. Then Falcon got sick during two separate TV interviews when asked why he hid.

Scared of getting in trouble?

The balloon was supposed to be tethered to the ground when it lifted off. A video of the launch shows the family counting down in unison, "3, 2, 1," before Richard Heene pulls a cord, setting the balloon into the air.

"Whoa!" one of the boys exclaims. Then his father says in disbelief, "Oh, my God!" He then says to someone, "You didn't put the (expletive) tether down!" and he kicks the wood frame that had held the balloon.

Falcon's brother said he saw him inside the compartment before it took off and that's why they thought he was in there when it launched. Before the launch, Heene said he had yelled at Falcon for getting inside.

Alderden thinks it's likely that Falcon ran off because he was scared of getting in trouble, later falling asleep in his hiding spot. He said he doubted that such a hyperactive boy could be ordered to stay quiet for five hours.

Over the years, Richard Heene has worked as a storm chaser, a handyman and contractor, and an aspiring reality-TV star.

He and his family appeared on the ABC reality show "Wife Swap" and the show's producer said that it had a show in development with the Heenes but that the deal is now off. TLC also said Heene had pitched a reality show to the network months ago, but it passed on the offer.

Despite his attempts to get on TV, Heene insisted Saturday that he didn't know what kinds of questions were being asked about him because he didn't have cable.

"I'm going to place the box out front. Please write your questions down, because friends are telling me they're saying this and that. I have no idea what the news is saying," Heene said.
 
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urbanhack said:
ffldrew said:
urbanhack said:
Stop the media coverage and don't show up to any press conference. There is nothing more to see.
Yes there is - I'd like to see him arrested and make restitution for the rescue effort to the taxpayers of Colorado and Larimer and Weld Counties.
on what charges?
The next time I spend an hour on the Internet watching, with no audio, a runaway balloon with what I am told is a small child inside, I won't believe that there really is an endangered child, and that has to be worth something.
 
urbanhack said:
ffldrew said:
urbanhack said:
Stop the media coverage and don't show up to any press conference. There is nothing more to see.
Yes there is - I'd like to see him arrested and make restitution for the rescue effort to the taxpayers of Colorado and Larimer and Weld Counties.
on what charges?
:rolleyes:
:shrug: Seriously, do people really think one can punk the government and not suffer consequences? :unsure:
 
I think everyone needs to relax and have a drink.
We are....and while we are doing that you may want to explain your earlier post on "what charges". Oh, and bring me another drink too. :shrug:
Sorry. I've tried to avoid the coverage and don't know all the intimate details other than the obvious.
Intimate details: a while back the father was sharing with someone he worked with that he had an idea for a new reality TV show, where they'd do crazy hoaxes, for example a kid is caught up in a helium balloon, etc.... Then after the "balloon boy" incident, his 6 year old accidentally let it slip on a TV inteview that "we did this for 'the show'".
 
The second I heard of the story I thought about the boy from 12 Monkeys.
Posted the same thing about ten pages back... Very similar situations, except of course this one was real, or at least, believed to be real but not really real but still real in that it actually happened but didn't really happen but it was in real life that it didn't happen.
 
Definitely seems to be very serious for the Heenes. First, Sheriff says that all they (meaning his department) can do is press Class 3 Misdemeanor charges. Then goes on to say that those charges hardly seem like appropriate punishment given the magnitude of the situation. Continues by saying they are working with the FAA to look into potential Federal charges - this is where it could get very serious for the Heenes. Bottom line, what we take away from this is that any and all chargers than can be filed will be filed - insomuch as it is possible, they intend the throw the book at Mr. and Mrs. Heene. Finally, the Heenes were at the Sheriff's office for about 7 hours - I imagine some serious, no bs interrogation tactics taking place... Meaning they took off the kid gloves this time and played hardball with these nut jobs, treating them like criminals rather than very rattled and almost grieving parents. And then, the Heenes do not go home. Why? My guess is they were not allowed to due to the potential for tampering with evidence. Instead, they likely spend night in hotel. Meanwhile the police investigators tear their house apart, it's clear from news coverage that they look in every room, take numerous photos, and leave with the Heene's computer equipment. Methinks they plan to drop a bomb today at 11AM (local time).

My favorite quote: Heene to reporters surrounding his car as he and his wife, and an unidentified man in the back seat, attempt to leave the parking lot, "I don't feel safe around you people." Oh the irony.

What's also funny is that Wolf Blitzer, filling in for Larry King, managed to back into one of the most famous interviews in recent television history.

 
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I think everyone needs to relax and have a drink.
We are....and while we are doing that you may want to explain your earlier post on "what charges". Oh, and bring me another drink too. :thumbup:
Sorry. I've tried to avoid the coverage and don't know all the intimate details other than the obvious.
Intimate details: a while back the father was sharing with someone he worked with that he had an idea for a new reality TV show, where they'd do crazy hoaxes, for example a kid is caught up in a helium balloon, etc.... Then after the "balloon boy" incident, his 6 year old accidentally let it slip on a TV inteview that "we did this for 'the show'".
Link?
 
I think everyone needs to relax and have a drink.
We are....and while we are doing that you may want to explain your earlier post on "what charges". Oh, and bring me another drink too. :thumbup:
Sorry. I've tried to avoid the coverage and don't know all the intimate details other than the obvious.
Intimate details: a while back the father was sharing with someone he worked with that he had an idea for a new reality TV show, where they'd do crazy hoaxes, for example a kid is caught up in a helium balloon, etc.... Then after the "balloon boy" incident, his 6 year old accidentally let it slip on a TV inteview that "we did this for 'the show'".
Link?
Are you serious? It is on every major news site on the internet.
 
Intimate details: a while back the father was sharing with someone he worked with that he had an idea for a new reality TV show, where they'd do crazy hoaxes, for example a kid is caught up in a helium balloon, etc.... Then after the "balloon boy" incident, his 6 year old accidentally let it slip on a TV inteview that "we did this for 'the show'".
Link?
Gawker paid the informant around $8k for his story, as I understand it -- they published it online yesterday:http://gawker.com/5383858/exclusive-i-help...-a-balloon-hoax

Exclusive: I Helped Richard Heene Plan a Balloon Hoax

For the first time, 25-year-old researcher Robert Thomas reveals to Gawker how earlier this year he and Richard Heene drew up a master plan to generate a massive media controversy using a weather balloon. To get famous, of course.

Thomas spent several months earlier this year working on developing a reality science TV show to pitch to networks — the "show," Thomas says, that Falcon was referring to when he told CNN "We did it for the show." Among the ideas that Heene, Thomas and two others came up with for their reality TV proposal — and one that he says most intrigued Heene — involved a weather balloon modified to look like a UFO which they would launch in an attempt to drum up media interest in both the Heene family and the series he was desperate to get on the air. Still, Thomas never imagined that Heene would involve his six-year-old son in what he is certain was a "global media hoax" to further Richard Heene's own celebrity. Thomas' story of his time with Heene, based on an interview with Ryan Tate, follows below. It's a fascinating account and after he publicly offered to sell his story, we paid him for it.

I came to Fort Collins for school — Colorado State University. I was a Web entrepreneur, starting a few small companies that evolved into a larger scale project called Extropedia.org, an open source online encyclopedia for advancing humanity through technology and science.

Doing research for the project on Google and YouTube, I stumbled upon Richard Heene and his video series Psyience Detectives. I was surprised to find this potential collaborator in the small city of Fort Collins. Since a very young age, I've been fascinated with electromagnetics, applied physics and how technologies developed out of those concepts could that change the world. Richard was studying basically the same thing. He asserted, for example, that tornadoes and hurricanes are not a result of changes in pressure but of magnetic polarity changes within the Earth.

I sent him an email in March, talking about Extropedia, a web site I founed and hope to re-launch soon. (Click here to read some of Thomas' email exchanges with the Heene family). Things progressed. Soon I was dropping in unannounced, having dinner. I'd bring various patents from the 50s and 60s that showcased technologies far more advanced than what we use today, and we discussed why they weren't being used. That was when Richard first started telling me about his conspiracy theories — which would eventually reveal themselves to be both extreme and paranoid.

Hunger for Stardom

There was something else at work, though. Oddly enough, Richard's sampling of stardom from being on Wife Swap — twice — gave him a sense of seniority in our scientific conversations. They became less and less about what I had to contribute and more and more about what Richard wanted.

And he wanted nothing more than to get another reality TV series. Richard had an ongoing dialog with someone at ABC who helped produce Wife Swap. Richard was pitching something along the lines of "MythBusters-meets-mad scientist." There would be these esoteric abstract experiments attempting to prove or disprove various theories. My job was to help him prepare a formal proposal. For each of 52 weekly episodes, to explain specifically what the subject would be, and why. (See the full proposal here.)

As the days progressed I became basically a stenographer. Richard was very hyperactive, and I would type out his ideas as quickly as I could. It was five hours of us brainstorming, or really Richard pouring his ideas out, then an additional ten hours of me taking his thoughts, cleaning them up, and making them linear and easier to understand. I would hyperlink the various scientific theories he mentioned for the people at ABC. I was to be paid $15 per hour, per a verbal agreement. More crucially, if and when and the reality series and was picked up by ABC, I would be one of his lead research assistants on the show.

I was very receptive to the idea of filtering esoteric science for the general population. A show would allow us to take the TV network's money and use it to fund real experimentation, to buy equipment unavailable to me as a student and an entrepreneur. We could experiment with electromagetics, crystal formation and new types of materials.

Richard, on the other hand, was often driven by ego and fame. He was all about controversy, hoping to whip up something significant enough to eliminate our reality TV competitors. He wanted episodes that would shock people and maximize his exposure. And he'd been trying for months. On several occasions, he sat down and told me he'd do whatever it took to make it happen — to win. He eventually resorted to extreme measures.

The UFO Idea (And the End of the World As We Know It in 2012)

One night, when Richard and I were sitting and talking, he brought up Wife Swap, and specifically a confrontation he had with a woman on the show who claimed to be a psychic. They very much disliked one other. Richard said, "Well, think about it. We were the 100th episode of Wife Swap. And why are we the most recognized Wife Swap family and episode? It's because of the controversy. I don't care what people say about me as a person, but the fact of the matter is that they know who I am."

And then we delved into the area of UFOs. I was reading a book on witness reports of Roswell at the time, just out of curiousity — I've never concluded whether it really took place or was an elaborate hoax. And Richard said, "how much do you want to bet we could facilitate some sort of a media stunt that would be equally profound as Roswell, and we could do so with nothing more than a weather balloon and some controversy?" (See item 16 here.)

Can we attract UFO's with a homemade flying saucer? We will modify a weather balloon, so that it resembles a UFO and will electrically charge the skin of the craft (Biefield-Brown Effect). We will capture the footage on film, and will utilize the media as a means with which to make our presence known to the masses. This will not only provide us with incredible footage, but will also generate a tremendous amount of controversy among the public, as well as publicity within the mainstream media. This will be the most significant UFO-related news event to take place since the Roswell Crash of 1947, and 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.

I clearly remember Richard telling me that, if we accomplish this, it would be the most controversial and widespread UFO news story since Roswell in 1947. (See audio at top of post.)

But he was motivated by theories I thought were far-fetched. Like Reptilians — the idea there are alien beings that walk among us and are shape shifters, able to resemble human beings and running the upper echelon of our government. Somehow a secret government has covered all this up since the U.S. was established, and the only way to get the truth out there was to use the mainstream media to raise Richard to a status of celebrity, so he could communicate with the masses.

As the weeks progressed, his theories got more and more extreme and paranoid. A lot of it surrounded 2012, and the possibility of there being an apocalyptic moment. Richard likes to talk a lot about the possibility of the Sun erupting in a large-scale solar flare that wipes out the Earth. It got to the point where he was really pressing me, saying we're running out of time, we're running out of time, the end of the world is coming. And we have to take necessary precautions to make sure that we're not among the majority that's going to be killed.

It got to the point where I was just nodding my head and going along with what he said, because it was easier than trying to debate with him. (See audio at bottom of post.)

Falcon's Fishy Flight Incident

When my friends called me about the whole balloon episode I was working. I had just moved to a new place and didn't have my television set up. I probably would never even have heard about this, except that a good friend of mine remembered me telling him about Richard several months ago. He told me, "Rob, you need to turn on the tv immediately! That Richard guy you worked with just pulled a massive publicity stunt!"

Richard's story doesn't add up. He is saying he thought Falcon was in the balloon, and that Falcon ran and hid as a result of Richard yelling at him. I've spent a lot of time with them, and Falcon is, first of all, not afraid of his father. I've never once seen Richard's children afraid of him — and I've definitely never seen Falcon go hide. He was one of the most social of the three children.

Secondly, Falcon supposedly hid in that attic in the garage. I've spent a lot of time in his garage, which has a drill press and various welding tools. It's unorganized and chaotic. There's really not so much an attic as some support beams connected with plywood. Being an adult of average height, I couldn't get up into the attic if I'd wanted to, so I don't know how a six-year-old child could have gotten up there. There's not an easy way to access that overhang. Maybe if I'd lifted that child up into the attic, he might have been able to rest up there, but not comfortably.

My doubts and concerns about that story were verified when Falcon's parents asked him on CNN, "why didn't you come out?" And Falcon said, "you guys said we did this for the show." Lights went off in my head. Bells were ringing; whistles were whistling. I said, "Wow, Richard is using his children as pawns to facilitate a global media hoax that's going to give him enough publicity to temporarily attract A-list celebrity status and hopefully attract a network."

The Price of Desperation

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I think in this case the desperation was too much for Richard to bear. Richard's construction business wasn't doing too well. It's hard to find people interested in spending money on the aesthetics of their home when they're worried about their mortgage.

A lot of the work I did with the Heene family related to passing out fliers, putting them on people's front doors. The fliers advertised a roofing business and a general handyman business. As the months progressed, Richard's paranoia increased exponentially and my paycheck decreased exponentially. The work I put in for the ABC proposal was never compensated. Richard implied he didn't have the money to pay me. But he would always reassure me, "It's all going to pay off in the end."

But, in "the end," Richard didn't think about the implications of his behavior. He certainly didn't consider the people that were praying for his child, and the hundreds, maybe thousands of people that were inconvenienced in pursuit of this balloon. The thousands of dollars of taxpayer money spent on things that weren't necessary.

Bluntly, I think Richard's ego blinds him to his brilliance. The only thing inhibiting him from progressing is a steadfast determination to become famous and live a Hollywood lifestyle. Someone needs to slap him in the face and say, "Wake up! This is not what's important." He has an amazing family that has already been subject to a tremendous amount of criticism. I especially feel bad for Falcon. He's going to be known as Balloon Boy the rest of his life. That's not something you want to tell a girl on the first date.

For me, it's been quite the experience. I don't regret any of it. I learned a lot from Richard. Not necessarily what I should do but rather what I should not do, in my career path and in my goals. It allowed me to question, "What do I find of value in the world?" And I was led to the conclusion that the only thing that matters to me is my friends and family and loved ones. Everything else is details. If the world were going to end tomorrow, like a lot of Richard's theories on 2012, who would you go to? Would you go to a bunch of investors for some company or a reality show? Or would you go to your family and friends?

The author of this post can be contacted at tips@gawker.com
 
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The Chair. For all of them.
If it's reality TV he wants, it's reality TV he'll get. Televise this.The Chair 9/8 central on ABC.
:( and if that won't work we could pitch a reality show where anyone come come by and pay $1 to kick the father and mother in the rear-end. The proceeds will be donated to charity each week. In addition, a bonus episode, can be done with Jon and Kate Gosselin.
 
The_Hoser said:
I think everyone needs to relax and have a drink.
We are....and while we are doing that you may want to explain your earlier post on "what charges". Oh, and bring me another drink too. :confused:
Sorry. I've tried to avoid the coverage and don't know all the intimate details other than the obvious.
Intimate details: a while back the father was sharing with someone he worked with that he had an idea for a new reality TV show, where they'd do crazy hoaxes, for example a kid is caught up in a helium balloon, etc.... Then after the "balloon boy" incident, his 6 year old accidentally let it slip on a TV inteview that "we did this for 'the show'".
Link?
How does one post a link to the entire flippin' Internet?
 
and (if it has not been mentioned yet) I just heard on the local (Colorado Springs) TV news, that Child Protective Services are investigating this situation also....

 
Eric Stratton said:
The_Hoser said:
Phase of the Game said:
The_Hoser said:
Are you serious? It is on every major news site on the internet.
Sorry, my bad for hanging with my kids today and watching some football.Thanks for the link, Memphis.
The story was on sites yesterday too. One click is all it takes.
Yes, again, it was unconscionable on my part to think perhaps someone had turned up some information which wasn't common knowledge, and it was a terrible imposition to ask for a link, as Memphis proved. I also apologize for not following the story as intently as some of you.It will never happen again.
 
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/18/colorado....tml#cnnSTCVideo

Did they even need an expert to analyze that debacle?
Where do they find all these experts? CNN had an 'experimental balloon' expert on the phone when this thing was still in the air. How the hell did they find him? Phone book? Unreal.
There are like 100 cues that there's something fishy going on in that clip and the expert is still leaving the door open that maybe the kids weren't coached.The other two kids, especially the one by the mom, is really wary of this whole thing. He can sense blood in the water the entire time.

And no mention of the dad almost uttering something before Falcon drops the hammer, then saying "man..." and mom obviously trying to coach him the entire time?

What I find interesting is that it took Falcon to outright admit this before the police were suspicious. Absent that, I wonder if they would have done anything, even though it was obvious that none of this made any sense.

 
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