Balloon Boy Parents to Plead Guilty
Our long, national, helium induced nightmare is almost over. CNN is reporting that Richard and Mayumi Heene — parents of Falcon “Balloon Boy” Heene — will plead guilty tomorrow:
The Larimer County district attorney’s office Thursday said Richard Heene has been charged with one count of attempting to influence a public servant, a felony, and Mayumi Heene has been charged with one count of false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor.Richard Heene turned himself in Thursday afternoon and was released on his own recognizance, authorities said.
The Heenes will appear Friday in Larimer County Court, where they are expected to plead guilty, their attorneys said.
I think we’ve all learned an important lesson. Children, be they in a balloon, down a well, with a fox, or in a box, do not constitute breaking national news.
Not that there is going to be a lot of sympathy for the Heenes, but it does appear that they got strong armed into this guilty plea.
Details after the jump.
Mayumi Heene is a Japanese citizen, and so the government was able to pull out some old school intimidation tactics to make sure the couple agreed to the guilty plea:
The threat of deportation for Mayumi Heene was a factor in the plea deal negotiation, the attorney’s statement said.“Mayumi Heene is a citizen of Japan. As such, any felony conviction or certain misdemeanors would result in her deportation, even though her husband and children are Americans,” the statement said.
“It is supremely ironic that law enforcement has expressed such grave concern over the welfare of the children, but it was ultimately the threat of taking the children’s mother from the family and deporting her to Japan which fueled this deal.”
I don’t know if “ironic” is the right word there. Well, maybe in the Alanis Morissette sense of the word. Certainly, Mayumi and Richard might have wanted to think through their immigration situation before executing their devilish hoax.
Then again, I wonder what would have happened to this couple if they had pulled this stunt with Japanese authorities. There’s that great Simpson’s line: “In America, you reward knowledge. In Japan, we punish ignorance.”
Dad in ‘balloon boy’ case turns himself in [CNN]
‘Balloon Boy’ parents expected to plead guilty [EW.com]
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Comments
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Okay, thx.
I'm appalled at the way this fame-whoring couple exploited this poor child.
Carrie Prejean.
second?
Their attorney should just STFU. They are selfish assholes and deserve what they are getting.
Straight forward case for the death penalty, no?
I did appreciate the Fox in Socks reference.
So, are they getting their reality TV show before or after they get out of jail?
As for the Heene's, I do not like them here or there.
I don't know if "work" was the right word there either
3,
No.
9
"I don’t know if “ironic” is the right work there."
I don't know if "work" is the right word there.
I don't know if "work" is the right "word" there
ROFLMAO with the Alanis Morissette comment.
12,
no
I hope all of the relevant authorities file civil suits against these assholes for all the PUBLIC resources wasted on their selfish prank.
IMO, it is the American Dream that is at fault. Ordinary people, the kind who will some day be no more than a dirty headstone, believe that they too are interesting, that they too can earn big salaries, that they too can make a difference. It is time for Obama (a living example of the fact that even if you are President you may not be able to make a difference) to put the American Dream to bed. Whose with me?
"F is for Foreigner"
"I" "don't" "know" "if" work "is" "the" "right" word "there." Well, 5:15. Time to head out--small firm practice is great! Let me go start up the Dodge Stratus and head back to the trailer.
Actually, I think that use of the word "irony" was fairly apropos here.
Carrie,
Unlike our foolish choice of governor, we will not make the same mistake again in our choice for Ms. CA.
-California
P.S. send enhancement money to our P.O. box. K Thx Bye.
Forget Spitzer and Ashley Dupre. I want more information about that Assara woman who keeps popping up (pun intended) on my screen as a ATL advertiser. With all due respect to Kash, who's remains smokin', she's someone I'd like to learn more about via an Interrogatory, or something. Can you please break down the thin wall between editorial and publishing and do a post on her? The ad already blurs the line with a "half Skadden" reference. I thought maybe this was part of the Lat family business of doctors, but I can't get any info on the Internets. Please help us all.
Assertion: There's no worse position in life than below-median 2L at GWU.
Discuss.
"Simpson's" need not be possessive.
you could be at American.
The parents belong in jail--why on earth are they getting probation? What a joke. Also, the kids should be charged as juveniles--they were in on the scam and participated willingly.
I would have liked to have seen her deported to Japan in a baloon. That would have been ironic.
Do you know what the BIG news is today?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,574389,00.html?test=latestnews
There should be an ATL thread on this. Naturally growing bigger breasts. Wow.
Wait a minute. Do ducks have breasts?
(No, not the kind that get put into turducken.)
If you can grow breasts on pigs, the pig might be a close runner-up to the sheep as the most sought-after farm animal in Virginia.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,574389,00.html?test=latestnews
Why are we talking about Balloon Boy's parents? We should be talking about Lee Boyd Malvo, who is an orphan this week when his "father" took the needle in Jarrett, VA.
11, 12, 22 -
This is all part of Elie's "find the typo" game that he plays with every post. It's more fun than 'Where's Waldo.'
One day I expect to see a walrus in a red and white striped shirt hiding on the ATL homepage.
Balloon Boy!! It is really no big deal. Who cares!?! the only reason there are criminal charges is because . . . well, there is no 'reason' in any of this.
Take away the media coverage and there is never charges filed.
How does the media have so much influence? Shouldn't someone have been charged with false reporting that WannaBePres. Gore won Florida?
I know its not the same thing, but both situations involve a little kid that doesn't know what he's doing.
25 made me lol
25 and 31=racist.
Also 30.
Well, actually, the whole bunch of you.
You're only saying these things because she's a poisson of color.
Tighty Whitey
Elie, you deserve some credit for the Alanis comment.
30: really? It costs $20K just to put one Blackhawk in the air to patrol the airspace. Those idiots wasted hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars. In your weird parallel universe where that wouldn't generate media coverage, they're still going to pay, and since they can't literally pay, they're being criminally charged.
If the Simpsons are to be trusted, Elie should stay the fuck out of Japan.
Is Mayumi Heene's vagina vertical or horizontal?
It is indeed ironic that these parents have been charged with false reporting to authorities for a stupid prank whereas the Hofstra false-rape accuser did not face any criminal charges for her "prank"...
"Not that there is going to be a lot of sympathy for the Heenes, but it does appear that they got strong armed into this guilty plea."
Oh no, I think I sense another "good samaritan statute" moment in the making.
On the other hand, Elie's labeling the misuse of "ironic" as using it "in the Alanis Morissette sense of the word" was a masterful.
It is just unbelievable...Poor kid.