An attorney for Richard Heene appeared on NBC’s Today show this morning to say that his client is “absolutely” innocent of any crime. The lawyer, David Lane, emphasized that no charges have been filed thus far as a result of the temporary disappearance of Heene’s six-year-old son Falcon, which authorities have since alleged was a well-rehearsed hoax with potential criminal repercussions. Lane suggested that the Larimer County sherriff’s office has provided an incomplete or misleading timeline of these events to the public, though he declined to get into specifics; he also compared Heene to Richard Jewell, who was wrongly accused of bombing the 1996 Olympics. Pending further information from the police, he noted that Heene might be willing to turn himself in “to avoid public spectacle” and address any charges.
Watch the Today show interview here.
More ”Balloon Boy” coverage from EW:
Heene family’s TV past: the Wife Swap years
”Balloon Boy” TV coverage: Pass the popcorn!
Richard Heene holds news conference: ”Absolutely no hoax” (from Oct. 17)
The really sad part to all this is that the entire media nation bought into this story hook, line and sinker. Shouldn’t they be held accountable for reporting “news” that isn’t news? Aren’t there some standards in the industry? And people wonder why news shows have such low ratings.
I doubted the story when I first saw the “craft.” It looked like a mylar balloon.
Yes, it didn’t really look like it could hold the weight of a child.
Who keeps a balloon full of helium tied up in the back yard?
yep guilty of being stupid.
haha! I totally called “Hoax” on this incident after seeing the balloon too. Too funny!
innocent of what – making what is likely to be the next crappy reality show that highlights a major dysfuntional family trying to get fame and fortune – innocent my @$$ – arrest the adults and place the kids into protective custody…
I AGREE!!!!!
Watch Mythbusters – if the police would have, they would have known the balloon was not viable in taking the boy up.
If you read the sheriffs report you would know they called balloon experts and asked if it was capable of carrying a 37lb child. With the specifications(incorrect) given to them by the father they said it was viable.
oooo – trust in what the father said – hmmmm – guess the sheriff didn’t watch Wife Swap either – if they did – they would have seen the beginning of the lunatic coming….
So before you launch a time-sensitive rescue of a boy who’s supposedly floated away in a balloon, you’re supposed to watch old MythBusters and Wife Swap episodes? Um, I’m glad the authorities acted so quickly to recover the boy, even if he wasn’t in the balloon. Now that it appears to have been a hoax, the guy deserves to be charged. But it doesn’t make sense to blame the authorities–they were tricked, just like we were.
Yeah right – acted quickly – how about the FAMILY taking the precautions of not having a filled balloon in their backyard that is ready to launch at any time – maybe more rope to hold it down – a fence to keep the little brats from being around the stupid thing
Richard Heene should be fined, jailed, made to pay restitution on the search and rescue costs and lose custody of his children. This lunatic got a taste of fame and wanted more, which is a sad commentary on today’s Cult of Personality.
Falcon saying “We did this for the show”. is proof enough for me.
Calling the TV station first is proof enough for me.
“avoid public spectacle” – should have thought of that before getting on Wife Swap – what we have here is a raving lunatic starved for fame and fortune – everyone say “THANK YOU TO ABC” for unleashing this freak on the world
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! “Innocent???!!!” Yeah right. And I am the Pope’s bit*h.
really wish that boy was in the balloon
really wish the family would just go away -
I think they should be prosecuted for naming their kid “Falcon.” Douchebag parents.
Can you imagine being their neighbor and hearing those parents calling his name… FALCON! FALCON!!!
That’s a cool name but kind of ironic you are on an entertainment website where these celebrities name their kids with of the wall names, like Apple.
or Shamrock….
Yes, so ironic.
“he also compared Heene to Richard Jewell, ” … are you serious?! I didn’t see Richard Jewell pitching a reality tv show, or appearing on one and letting my children act like animals.
Not surprised – the lawyer is just as much as a jerk as his client.
Can we please stop giving these people their 15 minutes of fame? This is exactly what they wanted!
I think it’s irrelevant whether the family cooked up the whole thing or not. Regardless, they should have to reimburse the various agencies who spent time and money searching for their not-lost child since they could not effectively monitor the child.
The parents should be fined and put in jail. The children should be saved and given to parents who will teach them love, respect, and honesty. It’s not too late to teach these children what normal behavior is like….
This guy is full of hot air.
Yeah I went there…in a balloon!
LOL!!