Why is that Heene would be likely to be charged of Class 3 misdemeanor?
Two days after a Colorado family told police that their homemade flying saucer had floated out of their backyard carrying a 6-year-old boy, prompting a widespread search and national news media coverage, the authorities said Saturday evening that charges were pending in the case. The announcement, by the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, indicated that the authorities had gleaned new information from the family of Richard and Mayumi Heene after interviewing them for hours earlier in the day. The office did not identify the specific charge or charges on Saturday, but said a Class 3 misdemeanor charge was possible, according to The Associated Press. False reporting of a crime falls under that class of misdemeanor. The sheriff, Jim Alderden, said a Class 3 misdemeanor “hardly seems serious enough given the circumstances.” He added, “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.
Richard Heene, the father of Falcon Heene aka Balloon Boy, will most probably face charges for making a false report to authorities – a Class 3 misdemeanor – which led the a crazy hot air balloon chase in rescue of the 6 year-old boy believed to be trapped in the strange aircraft. “We do anticipate at some point in the future, there will be some criminal charges filed with regards to this incident,” Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said. However, a misdemeanor “hardly seems serious enough given the circumstances,” the sheriff said. “We certainly want to talk to FAA officials and federal officials to see if perhaps there aren’t additional federal charges that would be more appropriate in the circumstances than what we’re able to do locally,” he said. The ‘Balloon Boy’ alleged hoax was revealed when Falcon said on ‘Larry King Live’ that he had done it “for the show” (watch video). The Heene family is also being investigated by child protection services based on reports that the parent
