Criminal charges will soon be filed in the case of a 6-year-old boy who spurred a frantic search for fear he was inside a wayward helium balloon, but who was later found safe at home, officials said on Saturday.
The Larimer County Sheriff's department was preparing charges over the much-publicized incident. The boy's father, Richard Heene, an amateur scientist and inventor, has denied speculation Thursday's incident was a publicity stunt.
A massive search-and-rescue operation and media frenzy ensued after the Heene's homemade helium balloon broke loose and drifted thousands of feet above Colorado for hours.
"We do anticipate ... there will be some criminal charges filed in respect to this incident," said Sheriff Jim Alderden, speaking to reporters in a news conference televised on CNN.
He said initial charges would likely be a misdemeanor.
The department was preparing search warrants, he said, adding the possible misdemeanor charge "hardly seems serious enough given the circumstances." He said the department was in contact with federal authorities and additional federal charges were possible.
Heene and his wife Mayumi were both questioned by sheriff's officials on Saturday.
Speculation over whether the four-hour ordeal was an elaborate hoax by the family -- who have appeared on reality television and are known as storm chasers -- arose after the boy, named Falcon, said on CNN's "Larry King Live" that he stayed hidden "for the show."
Earlier on Saturday, father Heene reiterated it was not a publicity stunt. He had called media to his Fort Collins, Colorado home for what he said would be a major announcement, but instead requested that reporters put written questions into a box that he would address later.
"Was this some sort of publicity stunt?" asked a reporter outside the home.
"Absolutely no hoax," said Heene.
Falcon, whose older brother had reported seeing him climb into a compartment attached to the balloon, was discovered hiding in a box in the attic above his family's garage.
Alderden said the department would hold a news conference on Sunday morning.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Colorado sheriff sees no hoax in balloon incident
A Colorado sheriff largely dismissed suggestions on Friday that a family of amateur scientists staged a hoax by reporting their 6-year-old son had floated away in a home-made helium balloon.
The bizarre incident on Thursday gripped U.S. television viewers as the silver balloon raced across the Colorado sky, tracked by U.S. National Guard helicopters for hours before the boy, Falcon Heene, was found alive and well in his attic.
Questions about the saga were raised after Falcon was asked on CNN's "Larry King Live" why he had stayed in hiding so long when family members and other searchers were desperately calling his name.
"You guys (his parents) said that, um, we did this for the show," he said.
The boy's father strongly denied in television interviews on Friday that the incident was a stunt.
"We believe at this time that it was a real event," Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden told a news conference on Friday.
"We have to operate on what we can prove as a fact and not what people want to be done or what people speculate should be done," Alderden said.
He acknowledged the boy's comment "has raised everybody's level of skepticism again and we feel its incumbent on us to go back to the family and re-interview them and establish whether in fact this was a hoax," Alderden said.
Authorities had considered desperate measures to bring the craft down safely and, after discovering the boy was not inside, had begun scouring the countryside amid fears he had fallen out.
Richard Heene and his wife, Mayumi, and three sons have appeared on the ABC television reality show "Wife Swap" in which families swap mothers to deal with family problems. Richard Heene said the balloon was part of an experiment by the family, which is known locally for its storm-chasing and scientific experiments.
NEW VIDEO SURFACES
A new videotape surfaced of the balloon leaving the family's yard, which showed Richard and Mayumi Heene and at least one of their sons loudly counting down to the moment of lift-off.
Richard Heene then appears to fly into a rage, kicking a wood framing that had once held the craft.
That video seemed to be at odds with earlier accounts, in which Heene said he was inside the house when the device somehow broke loose from its tethers and floated away.
Alderden told reporters he had not yet seen that videotape but said Heene would be questioned about it as part of the investigation.
The bizarre incident on Thursday gripped U.S. television viewers as the silver balloon raced across the Colorado sky, tracked by U.S. National Guard helicopters for hours before the boy, Falcon Heene, was found alive and well in his attic.
Questions about the saga were raised after Falcon was asked on CNN's "Larry King Live" why he had stayed in hiding so long when family members and other searchers were desperately calling his name.
"You guys (his parents) said that, um, we did this for the show," he said.
The boy's father strongly denied in television interviews on Friday that the incident was a stunt.
"We believe at this time that it was a real event," Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden told a news conference on Friday.
"We have to operate on what we can prove as a fact and not what people want to be done or what people speculate should be done," Alderden said.
He acknowledged the boy's comment "has raised everybody's level of skepticism again and we feel its incumbent on us to go back to the family and re-interview them and establish whether in fact this was a hoax," Alderden said.
Authorities had considered desperate measures to bring the craft down safely and, after discovering the boy was not inside, had begun scouring the countryside amid fears he had fallen out.
Richard Heene and his wife, Mayumi, and three sons have appeared on the ABC television reality show "Wife Swap" in which families swap mothers to deal with family problems. Richard Heene said the balloon was part of an experiment by the family, which is known locally for its storm-chasing and scientific experiments.
NEW VIDEO SURFACES
A new videotape surfaced of the balloon leaving the family's yard, which showed Richard and Mayumi Heene and at least one of their sons loudly counting down to the moment of lift-off.
Richard Heene then appears to fly into a rage, kicking a wood framing that had once held the craft.
That video seemed to be at odds with earlier accounts, in which Heene said he was inside the house when the device somehow broke loose from its tethers and floated away.
Alderden told reporters he had not yet seen that videotape but said Heene would be questioned about it as part of the investigation.
Two years out and Chinese people aren't allowed to play WOTLK because of government interference and corruption.
this is the difference between America and China, and its a difference that isn't going away. For all the idiocy of our politics, for all the ridiculous back and forth and inanity, we're a free country. And it matters. It matters in little ways like being able to play the video games we want to play. It matters in big ways like being able to choose where we want to live.
There is nobody on God's green earth that knows what you want, what makes your pursuit of happiness complete, better than you do. In this country we respect that reality. In China they don't.
Size, guns and money may buy you influence. They may let your fanboys go to sleep with nice dreams. They may let you ban video games until the cows come home. But they don't make you a gladiator. There may be a time when China gets there, but I can tell you this: while its still a place where WOTLK can be banned by the government that time is measured in decades, not in years.
There is nobody on God's green earth that knows what you want, what makes your pursuit of happiness complete, better than you do. In this country we respect that reality. In China they don't.
Size, guns and money may buy you influence. They may let your fanboys go to sleep with nice dreams. They may let you ban video games until the cows come home. But they don't make you a gladiator. There may be a time when China gets there, but I can tell you this: while its still a place where WOTLK can be banned by the government that time is measured in decades, not in years.
Queen slips out for quiet date with hubby
Britain's Queen Elizabeth stunned theater-goers in London this week when she and her husband slipped in to see a play unannounced and at the last minute, newspapers reported.
The queen and Prince Philip apologetically squeezed past other theater-goers to get into their seats for the West End production of World War One play "War Horse" at the New London Theater.
"The Queen and the Duke sat down as the lights dimmed and it was a huge shock when people realized who they were," said a journalist at the show for The Lady magazine. "They were incredibly apologetic for asking people to let them past and there was no hubbub or fuss about it all."
The queen and her husband often make incognito trips to the West End, but are rarely spotted, an aide told London's Evening Standard newspaper.
"The Queen has regularly undertaken similar private visits throughout her reign without any fuss," the aide said. "It allows her to live a bit more of a normal life."
The journalist from The Lady said the queen appeared to enjoy the performance, disappeared during the interval and then reappeared discreetly.
"When they left at the end, they were given a round of applause, which the Queen acknowledged with a wave," she said.
The queen and Prince Philip apologetically squeezed past other theater-goers to get into their seats for the West End production of World War One play "War Horse" at the New London Theater.
"The Queen and the Duke sat down as the lights dimmed and it was a huge shock when people realized who they were," said a journalist at the show for The Lady magazine. "They were incredibly apologetic for asking people to let them past and there was no hubbub or fuss about it all."
The queen and her husband often make incognito trips to the West End, but are rarely spotted, an aide told London's Evening Standard newspaper.
"The Queen has regularly undertaken similar private visits throughout her reign without any fuss," the aide said. "It allows her to live a bit more of a normal life."
The journalist from The Lady said the queen appeared to enjoy the performance, disappeared during the interval and then reappeared discreetly.
"When they left at the end, they were given a round of applause, which the Queen acknowledged with a wave," she said.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
And the most tasteless idea of the week is..
Australian horse racing officials have been slammed for holding a dwarf racing competition called the 'Midget Cup' at a meeting in Melbourne to promote Victoria state's annual carnival.
The race at the Cranbourne Cup Sunday involved three men charging down a 50-metres course with dwarfs dressed in jockey silks riding piggyback, and has been denounced by government officials and advocacy groups.
"Well look, there's often a fine line between a bit of fun and a silly stunt and I think this falls into the latter category," Victorian racing minister Rob Hulls told state radio.
"I mean the Midget's Cup for goodness sake. It's certainly no way of promoting this great Spring Carnival right around the world, right around Australia and right throughout Victoria."
The controversy comes days after an Australian talent show came under fire for airing a comedy troupe skit involving dancers wearing afro wigs and black-painted faces to impersonate late pop star Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5.
Stuart Laing, a marketing manager at Racing Victoria, said the dwarf race was intended to be "harmless fun," but apologized and said it would not be repeated.
"We understand that you can't please everyone and if anyone's offended by the events of Sunday then we apologize to them," he said.
The race at the Cranbourne Cup Sunday involved three men charging down a 50-metres course with dwarfs dressed in jockey silks riding piggyback, and has been denounced by government officials and advocacy groups.
"Well look, there's often a fine line between a bit of fun and a silly stunt and I think this falls into the latter category," Victorian racing minister Rob Hulls told state radio.
"I mean the Midget's Cup for goodness sake. It's certainly no way of promoting this great Spring Carnival right around the world, right around Australia and right throughout Victoria."
The controversy comes days after an Australian talent show came under fire for airing a comedy troupe skit involving dancers wearing afro wigs and black-painted faces to impersonate late pop star Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5.
Stuart Laing, a marketing manager at Racing Victoria, said the dwarf race was intended to be "harmless fun," but apologized and said it would not be repeated.
"We understand that you can't please everyone and if anyone's offended by the events of Sunday then we apologize to them," he said.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Rags-to-riches tramp bags fortune in bottles
A 63-year-old homeless Russian man has gone from street life to stock market trader after collecting thousands of empty booze bottles for cash, a popular Russian tabloid reported on Tuesday.
Pictured in a majestic purple suit and matching violet jewelry, Leonid Konovalov told the Tvoi Den paper he collected around 2,000 bottles a day over the past year since the economic downturn hit Russia last autumn.
"Russians are drinking a little bit more due to the crisis, and this helped me get out of the rubbish dump," said Konovalov, an ex-engineer from the industrial city of Kemerovo in eastern Siberia who has spent the last 20 years living in a tip.
Russia's many homeless are often seen rooting through rubbish for bottles and tins, which they can trade for money. A glass bottle can fetch about 2 rubles ($0.06).
The bearded former tramp said he was encouraged by his two grandchildren to take risks on the stock market and said his first transaction was a 50,000 euro ($74,120) share-purchase.
Pictured in a majestic purple suit and matching violet jewelry, Leonid Konovalov told the Tvoi Den paper he collected around 2,000 bottles a day over the past year since the economic downturn hit Russia last autumn.
"Russians are drinking a little bit more due to the crisis, and this helped me get out of the rubbish dump," said Konovalov, an ex-engineer from the industrial city of Kemerovo in eastern Siberia who has spent the last 20 years living in a tip.
Russia's many homeless are often seen rooting through rubbish for bottles and tins, which they can trade for money. A glass bottle can fetch about 2 rubles ($0.06).
The bearded former tramp said he was encouraged by his two grandchildren to take risks on the stock market and said his first transaction was a 50,000 euro ($74,120) share-purchase.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Once in a black and blue moon...
A German man mooning at railway staff in a departing train got his trousers caught in a carriage door and ended up being dragged half naked along the platform, out of the station and onto the tracks.
The 22-year-old journalism student shoved his backside against the window of a low-slung double-decker train when staff forced him off in Lauenbrueck for traveling without a ticket, a spokesman for police in the northern city of Bremen said.
"It's a miracle he wasn't badly hurt," the spokesman said on Monday. "This sort of thing can end up killing you."
Instead, dangling by his trousers, the man got pulled along for about 200 meters, all the while managing to keep his legs away from the wheels of the train.
The ordeal ended when a passenger pulled the emergency brake. Rescues services were called in, causing rail services between Bremen and Hamburg to be suspended for over an hour, delaying 23 trains.
The man -- unharmed except for cuts and bruises -- now faces charges of dangerous interference in rail transport, insulting the train staff, and may face sizeable a compensation claim for the delays he caused, police said.
"He was full of remorse when I talked to him," the spokesman said. "And he advised others not to try the same thing."
The 22-year-old journalism student shoved his backside against the window of a low-slung double-decker train when staff forced him off in Lauenbrueck for traveling without a ticket, a spokesman for police in the northern city of Bremen said.
"It's a miracle he wasn't badly hurt," the spokesman said on Monday. "This sort of thing can end up killing you."
Instead, dangling by his trousers, the man got pulled along for about 200 meters, all the while managing to keep his legs away from the wheels of the train.
The ordeal ended when a passenger pulled the emergency brake. Rescues services were called in, causing rail services between Bremen and Hamburg to be suspended for over an hour, delaying 23 trains.
The man -- unharmed except for cuts and bruises -- now faces charges of dangerous interference in rail transport, insulting the train staff, and may face sizeable a compensation claim for the delays he caused, police said.
"He was full of remorse when I talked to him," the spokesman said. "And he advised others not to try the same thing."
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