6 Year Old Alone In Hot Air Balloon

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-04-2009
6 Year Old Alone In Hot Air Balloon
35
Thu, 10-15-2009 - 3:00pm
I have MSNBC on in the background right now.  They are following a KUSA news feed of helium-filled experimental balloon that is loose over Colorado with a lone 6 year old boy inside.  The balloon is spinning and tilting and traveling right now at about 6000 to 8500 feet at 20 to 25 mph.  I know I shouldn't watch, but this has just grabbed my attention.  I hope that authorities with a knowledge of balloons can figure out how to rescue this little child.  The balloon is capable of rising to 10,000  or more feet where it is cold and there is less oxygen for the child.   Experts are saying that they cannot use helicopters to get near the balloon for fear of sucking the balloon into the blades.   If this balloon hits the ground at that speed, the child will be seriously injured if not killed.  If you've got a minute, please say a prayer for that little boy, cold, scared and spinning/tilting in that balloon.

 



Opal

 

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-22-2009
Thu, 10-22-2009 - 11:49am
Yes, definately the children should be taken away from the parents. The dad is just nuts!
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2009
Thu, 10-22-2009 - 12:55pm

Yeah, as I hear more, I tend to agree.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 10-22-2009 - 1:12pm
It seems like Mom happily goes along with her lunatic husband's in all his crazy plans and schemes.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2009
Thu, 10-22-2009 - 1:44pm

It seems like Mom happily goes along ...>>>


Well, I admit I don't know much about it.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2000
Sat, 10-24-2009 - 11:17am

As we suspected..........


Affidavit: Balloon Boy's Mom Confesses to Hoax


http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20315256,00.html


The mother of "Balloon Boy," Mayumi Heene, has confessed to lying to authorities and said that the release of the 20-foot Mylar balloon on Oct. 15 was "intentional as a hoax," according to an affidavit obtained by the Fort Collins Coloradoan.

In the affidavit sworn out by sheriff's investigator Robert Heffernan, Mayumi Heene said she and her husband knew all along that their son Falcon, 6, was not on board the balloon but rather hiding in their home, and that the motive for the hoax was to make their family "more marketable for future media interest."

Even though Mayumi has confessed, her husband Richard Heene's criminal fate is still "up in the air," according to Scott Robinson, a Denver defense attorney, who is not involved with the case.

"If Mayumi's confession was lawfully obtained, it is conclusive evidence against her, but it cannot be used against him, nor can she testify against him without his consent," Robinson told PEOPLE.

Last Thursday viewers around the globe watched the flight of a saucer-shaped craft that was supposedly carrying Falcon, who came out of hiding after five hours.

Mayumi told officers they had planned the hoax for two weeks, even building the balloon specifically for the launch, according to the affidavit. She even admitted both she and Richard, 48, had instructed their three boys – Bradford, 10, Ryo, 8, and Falcon – to lie to authorities.


Charges Coming?


The Sheriff's office was slated to turn over their investigation to the Larimer County District Attorney on Monday.

The DA could file formal charges against the Heene's any time thereafter, including class 4 felonies: contributing to the delinquency of a minor, attempting to influence a public servant and conspiracy.

The charges, if they are filed, could bring 6-12 years in prison and fines up to $500,000. If convicted, they also could owe an unknown amount of restitution for the rescue operation.

And declaring bankruptcy won't wash away debt owed to rescuers, Robinson says. By law "it cannot be discharged" until it's paid.

"If fame and riches were what they were after," concludes Robinson, "it looks like all they really got was notoriety."

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