Heene, Balloon Hoax | featured news

The Colorado parents in the "balloon boy" case will plead guilty to offenses for creating a hoax that their son had flown away in a large balloon.

An associate of the father accused of carrying out the now-infamous balloon boy ordeal to promote a reality TV show was wanted for questioning after e-mails surfaced showing the two had discussed a similar stunt months ago as part of a public relations campaign for the program.

The bizarre flight of a home-made helium balloon, thought to have a 6-year-old boy aboard, was a hoax and publicity stunt, a Colorado sheriff said on Sunday.

Gawker.com has posted an exclusive interview with 25-year-old researcher Robert Thomas who claims he helped Richard Heene, the father of "balloon boy" Falcon Heene, plan a balloon hoax as part of a proposal to try to land a reality TV show. Gawker, which acknowledges it paid Thomas for the interview, includes in the long interview details of many hours he spent with Heene working on the proposal. He says Heene was "driven by ego and...

Criminal case mulled in connection with Colorado couple's report of son set adrift on helium balloon.

A couple who frantically told a 911 dispatcher their 6-year-old son had floated off in an inflatable balloon remain in the spotlight, but now it's for a series of bizarre TV interviews about the escapade, a previous 911 call and efforts to land a reality TV show gig.

Officials in Colorado said they plan to investigate the Heene family to determine whether the balloon incident was a hoax and if they should pursue criminal charges.