[NormsRevenge]

Richard Heene (L) holds his son six-year-old Falcon Heene as he talks to reporters outside their house in Fort Collins, Colorado October 15, 2009. Falcon, who set off a massive search and rescue operation and media frenzy after it was reported he was inside a homemade helium balloon that broke loose and drifted for hours thousands of feet above Colorado has been found safe in his attic, police said on Thursday. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES SOCIETY)

[HiTech RedNeck]

The FAA could prolly come up with something, but that seems stupid. The “craft” was never intended to fly.

I’d be looking at civil damages, not criminal charges. That balloon cost beaucoup $$ to chase, thinking the child was aboard.

[JLS]

but he expressed disappointment that he couldn't level more serious charges in the incident

I sorry but it is none of his business how serious the charges are. His job is to enforce the law not pontificate about what the law should be.

[CharlesWayneCT]

I wonder if the most serious charge they could hit them with might be an FAA flight violation. the FAA takes flight space pretty seriously.

[South40]

Charges will be filed in balloon saga

I'll see it when I believe it. /s

[george76]

Robert Thomas helped Richard Heene plan the Balloon Hoax.

http://gawker.com/5383858/exclusive-i-helped-richard-heene-plan-a-balloon-hoax

[machogirl]

already facebook pages devoted to the family, guess dad’s got his extra 15 minutes

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Is the sheriff running for something?

Seems sort of like that DA going after the Duke LAX team.

[ArtyFO]

HUGH and SERIES charges, huh?

[ntmxx]

Ok, stupid news for stupid people. Oops there goes another trillion…what just happened…oh the balloon you say? Not sure what was more stupid, the news about the tail or the Fox segment with the girly men trying to be one of the girls.

[devolve]

[aruanan]

"We were looking at Class 3 misdemeanor, which hardly seems serious enough given the circumstances," Alderden said. "We are talking to the district attorney, federal officials to see if perhaps there aren't additional federal charges that are appropriate in this circumstance."

"Like zoo apes, we're going to start flinging feces in the hopes that something will stick somewhere. I mean, after all, they made us look stoopid so we're justified in trying to think up something so we can make 'em hurt."

[aruanan]

"We were looking at Class 3 misdemeanor, which hardly seems serious enough given the circumstances," Alderden said. "We are talking to the district attorney, federal officials to see if perhaps there aren't additional federal charges that are appropriate in this circumstance."

"Nobody should be able to pull the wool over our eyes, take advantage of our emotions, and manipulate us with our fears with impunity and get away with it--oh, how's Obama doing? I think he's doing a really great job."

[elkfersupper]

There are more kooks per square mile in Colorado than you would believe.

We also have a plethora of the same types of nutballs all the way from Las Cruces to and beyond Taos in NM.

[metmom]

Much as I hate government intrusion in making more laws and regulations, anyone who so deceives people and expects government bailout in the form of rescue, ought to foot the bill.

It should be illegal and there should be consequences.

[PaleoBob]

They should just file the charges agianst themselves for wasting taxpayer money everyday on boondoggles as bad as this one that never get into the papers or on TV because they constitute “police business as usual.” Or maybe that should be “police state business as usual.”

[Seruzawa]

Wow! Well, I’m sure mad at this family and there aren’t laws tough enough to give them life or 40 years or whatever our political masters think should be the punishment. So let’s pass another law so no one will do this again. Make the law real fuzzy so that any parent who reports their kid missing mistakenly is subject to forfeiture of all assets and parental rights. Oh yeah and make the law apply whether there was intent or not. This will mean more easier convictions for our tireless prosecutors.

There, that seems to be the level of law making in the USA these days.

[Do Not Make Fun Of His Ears]

In the video, the kid says “You said it was for a show.”

The normal thing would be for the father to say, “what are you talking about, son? Did you misunderstand the man’s question?”

Instead the dad is momentarily stunned and says, “Yeah.”

And the mom would have also asked, “What do you mean?” Instead she says “No” to the boy. Very telling.

This seems to be correcting the boy to stick to the story. 

Then the dad asks a bizarre question, apparently reeling from the boy’s answer.

“You didn’t come out?” what????!!! Everyone KNOWS he didn’t come out. The question the interviewer asked was WHY he didn’t come out. The father there seems to be very much disoriented and scrambling for thoughts.

The problem with these publicity hounds is that they didn’t prepare for the boy to be asked that question. And it backfired in a huge way.