Gov. Polis pardons parents behind 2009 'balloon boy' hoax

FORT COLLINS, Colo.—Governor Jared Polis announced December 23 that he commuted the sentences of four individuals and pardoned 18 others.

Two of those receiving pardons are Richard and Mayumi Heene. You may know them as the “balloon boy” parents.

In 2009, the Heenes released a UFO-like saucer filled with gas 7,000 feet into the air above Fort Collins and told authorities that their son, Falcon, was trapped inside. The saga of the balloon boy, as David Folkenflik wrote for NPR at the time, “proved irresistible to the media.” Even national networks like CNN picked up on the story and broadcasted live video as the balloon flew in the air for 90 minutes.

When it landed, Falcon was not inside. That is because Falcon was never in the balloon, and the parents knew as much. Their son was hiding in the family’s house.

The entire spectacle was a hoax.

The parents ended up pleading guilty after investigators discovered the hoax. Mayumi pleaded guilty to false reporting to authorities, while Richard Heene pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public servant. According to CNN, Richard was sentenced to 90 days in jail. His wife faced 60 days in jail.

“In the case of Richard and Mayumi Heene, the ‘balloon boy’ parents, we are all ready to move past the spectacle from a decade ago that wasted the precious time and resources of law enforcement officials and the general public,” Polis said in a statement. “Richard and Mayumi have paid the price in the eyes of the public, served their sentences, and it’s time for all of us to move on. It’s time to no longer let a permanent criminal record from the balloon boy saga follow and drag down the parents for the rest of their lives.”

A full list of the commutations and pardons can be found here.

The four people Polis pardoned will be released January 15, 2021.

“You and your wife were involved in a very high profile incident that garnered attention across Colorado and across the country. You wrote to me that you have taught your three children to be honest and hardworking, and you have been diligently passing on your construction trade to your sons,” Polis wrote in his letter to Richard Heene. “I believe you and trust that the legal and social consequences you have suffered in the intervening years will prevent you from ever repeating your past mistakes.”