Parents accused of masterminding a hoax in which US emergency services chased an out-of-control balloon in which their son was feared to be trapped could be charged as early as today, his lawyer has said.
David Lane said his client Richard Heene was willing to turn himself in over the alleged plot, which took in the world media last Thursday with cameras tracking the flying saucer-shaped vessel as it zipped across the Colorado skies.
Mr Heene and his wife Mayumi face possible felony charges including conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and making a false report to police.
The most serious counts carry a maximum sentence of six years’ imprisonment and a $500,000 (€335,000) fine.
In a further development it has emerged that Mr Heene had discussed the possibility of a publicity stunt involving the balloon months before it went up on Thursday.
In an email exchange obtained by gossip website Gawker.com, Mr Heene discusses with associate Robert Thomas using the UFO inflatable to generate media interest in a reality TV show based on the Heene family.
"This will be the most significant UFO-related news event to take place since the Roswell crash of 1947, and the result will be a dramatic increase in local and national awareness about The Heene Family, our reality series, as well as the UFO phenomenon in general," Mr Heene's show proposal — posted to Gawker.com- states.
Millions of viewers followed last week’s drama unfold on live TV.
Over the course of two hours, police rescue teams and the US National Guard tracked the balloon under the belief that six-year-old Falcon Heene had crawled inside a compartment just before it became loose and took to the skies.
It travelled around 50 miles before floating to the ground at which point it was discovered that the youngster was not on board.
Fears that he may have fallen out shortly after take-off were allayed when he turned up a few hours later, apparently after hiding out because he thought his dad would be angry.
But suspicions were soon raised that the whole incident was an elaborate stunt.
In an interview with CNN, Falcon was asked why he did not come out of hiding, to which he looked at his father and said: “You said we did this for a show.”
After the apparent admission, the family were re-interviewed by police. Yesterday, Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderton said that he would be seeking charges against Richard and Mayumi Heene.
Mr Alderton also speculated that a media outlet may have been involved in the plot. The law man said they would be seeking reimbursement for the costs of the search, but did not have an estimated total.
Mr Heene said yesterday that he was “seeking counsel” over the incident.
Approached by reporters while shopping at a supermarket, he said: “This thing has become so convoluted”.
Speaking on NBC's Todayshow, his lawyer David Lane said he expects authorities to bring charges against his client within the next day, adding that he hoped police would not stage a public arrest.
“These folks are willing to turn themselves in, so I don’t want to see a perp walk done for media consumption,” the lawyer said.
PA