FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — The story that a little boy had floated away
in a giant helium balloon was a hoax concocted to land a reality
television show, authorities said Sunday, and inflatable slides the boy's parents will likely face felony charges.
The stunt two weeks in the planning was a marketing ploy by Richard and
Mayumi Heene, who met in acting school in Hollywood and have appeared
on the ABC reality show "Wife Swap," Larimer County Sheriff Jim
Alderden said. The Heenes have reportedly been working on a reality TV
deal in Los Angeles.
Investigators are examining the
possibility of other conspirators, "including the possibility that even
some of the media outlets may have had some knowledge about this,"
Alderden said.
Documents show that a media outlet has agreed
to pay money to the Heenes with regards to the balloon incident,
Alderden said. He didn't name the media outlet, but said it was a show
that blurs "the line between entertainment and news." It wasn't clear
whether the deal was signed before or after the hoax, or whether that
media was possible conspirator.
Six-year-old Falcon Heene may not have even been hiding in pearl jewelry the rafters of the family's garage during the intense five-hour search for him Thursday, Alderden said.
"For all we know he may have been two blocks down the road playing on the swing in the city park," the sheriff said.
The stunt temporarily shut down Denver International Airport and caused
the National Guard to scramble two helicopters in an attempt to rescue
the boy, who was believed to be inside the flying-saucer shaped
homemade balloon that hurtled more than 50 miles across two counties.
The drama played out on live television to millions of viewers
worldwide. When the balloon landed without the boy in it, officials
thought he had fallen out and began grim search for his body.
In fact, the balloon — which was held together with duct tape — would
not have been able to launch with the 37-pound boy inside, Colorado
State University physics professor Brian Jones has determined.
The parents weren't under arrest, the sheriff said. He said he expected
to recommend charges of conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of
a minor, making a false report to freshwater pear authorities and attempting to influence a public servant. Federal charges were also possible.
The most serious charges are felonies and carry a maximum sentence of
six years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Alderden said they would be
seeking restitution for the costs, though he didn't have an estimate.
The cost for just the two military helicopters was akoya pearl earrings about $14,500.
Richard and Mayumi Heene were shopping for snacks at Walmart with their
three sons as Alderden told reporters that the whole thing was a hoax.
Richard Heene told The Associated Press he was "seeking counsel."
"This thing has become so convoluted," Heene said as tears welled in
his eyes. He said his wife was holding together better than he was.
The couple's attorney, David Lane, issued a statement later Sunday
saying the Heenes were willing to voluntarily turn themselves in to
face charges. Lane said he advised the family against making public
statements.
The sheriff said all three of the Heenes' sons
knew of the hoax, but likely won't face charges because of their ages.
The oldest son is 10. One of the boys told investigators he saw his
brother get in the balloon's box before it launched.
Heene, 48, a storm chaser and inventor, has described himself as an pearl earrings amateur scientist, but Alderden said Heene has only a high school education.
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03 November, 2009 20:39
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03 November, 2009 20:39
"He may be nutty, but he's not a professor," Alderden said.
Alderden said that during the drama, the family's actions led them to believe the story was genuine. But during an interview on CNN Thursday night, Alderden said investigators had an "aha" moment when Falcon turned to his dad and said what sounded like "you turquoise jewelry had said we did this for a show" when asked why he didn't come out of his hiding place.
On Friday, Falcon got sick during two separate TV interviews when asked again why he hid.
Alderden said they didn't question the family Friday because they wanted to keep the family's cooperation by maintaining the appearance that they believed their story. Richard Heene was asked to stop by the sheriff's office under the pretext that he needed to pick up his balloon, and was questioned once he got there.
With Heene gone, other investigators went to the house. Alderden said they were looking for computers, e-mails, phone records and financial records.
Records show that police have responded to the house at least twice in the past year, including a possible domestic violence incident in February. No twisted pearl necklace charges were filed.
Alderden said officials tried Saturday to persuade Mayumi Heene, 45, to go to a safe house, but she declined.
"We talked to her at length about domestic violence, about her safety, about her children's safety," the sheriff said. "We have a concern, but we didn't have enough that would allow us or child protective services to physically take the kids from that environment."
Alderden said the children were still with the parents Sunday morning, and child protective services had been contacted to investigate the children's well-being.
"Clearly, from all indications, Mr. Heene has somewhat of a temper," Alderden said.
As to the hoax that could end up with one or both in cultured pearl jewelry prison:
"It certainly got big and whether anybody realized it that it would get the type of international media attention, I suspect this is probably beyond what they thought," Alderden said.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Alderden said that during the drama, the family's actions led them to believe the story was genuine. But during an interview on CNN Thursday night, Alderden said investigators had an "aha" moment when Falcon turned to his dad and said what sounded like "you turquoise jewelry had said we did this for a show" when asked why he didn't come out of his hiding place.
On Friday, Falcon got sick during two separate TV interviews when asked again why he hid.
Alderden said they didn't question the family Friday because they wanted to keep the family's cooperation by maintaining the appearance that they believed their story. Richard Heene was asked to stop by the sheriff's office under the pretext that he needed to pick up his balloon, and was questioned once he got there.
With Heene gone, other investigators went to the house. Alderden said they were looking for computers, e-mails, phone records and financial records.
Records show that police have responded to the house at least twice in the past year, including a possible domestic violence incident in February. No twisted pearl necklace charges were filed.
Alderden said officials tried Saturday to persuade Mayumi Heene, 45, to go to a safe house, but she declined.
"We talked to her at length about domestic violence, about her safety, about her children's safety," the sheriff said. "We have a concern, but we didn't have enough that would allow us or child protective services to physically take the kids from that environment."
Alderden said the children were still with the parents Sunday morning, and child protective services had been contacted to investigate the children's well-being.
"Clearly, from all indications, Mr. Heene has somewhat of a temper," Alderden said.
As to the hoax that could end up with one or both in cultured pearl jewelry prison:
"It certainly got big and whether anybody realized it that it would get the type of international media attention, I suspect this is probably beyond what they thought," Alderden said.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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03 November, 2009 20:38
DETROIT (AP) — A half-marathoner and two other runners died during the Detroit marathon on Sunday, organizers said.
Daniel Langdon, 36, of Laingsburg, collapsed at about 9:02 a.m. between the 11- and 12-mile markers, said Rich Harshbarger, vice president of gemstone jewelry consumer marketing for the Detroit Media Partnership.
Rick Brown, 65, of Marietta, Ohio, collapsed at 9:17 a.m., near where Langdon went down, and 26-year-old Jon Fenlon of Waterford collapsed at about 9:18 a.m., just after finishing the half-marathon in 1:53:37, Harshbarger said.
It was unclear whether Brown and Langdon were participating in the inflatable slides 13.1-mile half marathon or the full race.
Harshbarger told the Free Press that there were at least six medical stations on the race course and that emergency personnel were on the scene within seconds.
Every runner must sign a medical release form, and they are encouraged to talk to their doctors before they run the race, Harshbarger said.
"On a day when so many people bring such energy and challenge themselves to do their utmost, this news is very difficult to hear," said Free Press editor and freshwater pearl earrings publisher Paul Anger said. "Our deepest sympathies are with the families."
The temperature was about 28 degrees when the marathon started and had risen to 41 degrees by 10 a.m. Running coach Keith Hanson said he doubted that the weather had anything to do with the deaths.
"The wind never kicked up," Hanson said. "In my mind, the conditions were perfect."
Deaths at marathons are relatively rare. The last death at the Detroit event was in 1994 when a 42-year-old man died of a heart attack after running more than 20 miles.
More than 19,000 people were registered to participate in the akoya pearl earrings 32nd Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon on Sunday.
Nicholas Stanko, of Haslett, Mich., took first place in the marathon with a time of 2:20:24. He said he was inspired by members of the track and cross country teams at Haslett High who came out to cheer him on. Stanko and his wife, Theresa, both teach and coach at the school.
"I just tried to give them the best I could," he said. "I ended up just holding on. You always just hold on by a thread at the end, and my thread didn't break today so I lucked out."
Sarah Plaxton, of Highland, Mich., was the top female finisher in the marathon with a time of 2:57:09. The 41-year-old mother of three said she didn't realize how close she was to the lead runner until supporters lining the streets told her she was reeling in the leader with less than a quarter-mile to go.
"I was in shock, actually," said Plaxton, who sprinted across the line for the pearl pendant win. "I didn't even see her until I turned the corner, and then I gave it everything I had."
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Daniel Langdon, 36, of Laingsburg, collapsed at about 9:02 a.m. between the 11- and 12-mile markers, said Rich Harshbarger, vice president of gemstone jewelry consumer marketing for the Detroit Media Partnership.
Rick Brown, 65, of Marietta, Ohio, collapsed at 9:17 a.m., near where Langdon went down, and 26-year-old Jon Fenlon of Waterford collapsed at about 9:18 a.m., just after finishing the half-marathon in 1:53:37, Harshbarger said.
It was unclear whether Brown and Langdon were participating in the inflatable slides 13.1-mile half marathon or the full race.
Harshbarger told the Free Press that there were at least six medical stations on the race course and that emergency personnel were on the scene within seconds.
Every runner must sign a medical release form, and they are encouraged to talk to their doctors before they run the race, Harshbarger said.
"On a day when so many people bring such energy and challenge themselves to do their utmost, this news is very difficult to hear," said Free Press editor and freshwater pearl earrings publisher Paul Anger said. "Our deepest sympathies are with the families."
The temperature was about 28 degrees when the marathon started and had risen to 41 degrees by 10 a.m. Running coach Keith Hanson said he doubted that the weather had anything to do with the deaths.
"The wind never kicked up," Hanson said. "In my mind, the conditions were perfect."
Deaths at marathons are relatively rare. The last death at the Detroit event was in 1994 when a 42-year-old man died of a heart attack after running more than 20 miles.
More than 19,000 people were registered to participate in the akoya pearl earrings 32nd Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon on Sunday.
Nicholas Stanko, of Haslett, Mich., took first place in the marathon with a time of 2:20:24. He said he was inspired by members of the track and cross country teams at Haslett High who came out to cheer him on. Stanko and his wife, Theresa, both teach and coach at the school.
"I just tried to give them the best I could," he said. "I ended up just holding on. You always just hold on by a thread at the end, and my thread didn't break today so I lucked out."
Sarah Plaxton, of Highland, Mich., was the top female finisher in the marathon with a time of 2:57:09. The 41-year-old mother of three said she didn't realize how close she was to the lead runner until supporters lining the streets told her she was reeling in the leader with less than a quarter-mile to go.
"I was in shock, actually," said Plaxton, who sprinted across the line for the pearl pendant win. "I didn't even see her until I turned the corner, and then I gave it everything I had."
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
[General
]
03 November, 2009 20:37
The strongest was Hurricane Linda
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Rick, the
strongest eastern North Pacific storm in more than a decade, raged
across open seas on Sunday, but forecasters said it could veer into turquoise jewelry resorts at the tip of the Baja California Peninsula by midweek.
The
track of the Category 5 hurricane threatened to disrupt a major sport
fishing tournament scheduled to start Wednesday in Los Cabos, where
hundreds of fishermen — mainly Americans — were gathering.
The hurricane's winds were still a howling 175 mph Sunday, down slightly from a peak of 180 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. But it was projected to move over cooler waters and weaken to around Category 2 status with winds of around 98 mph before hitting land.
The eye was centered about 500 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas as of 11 a.m. ET Sunday.
Rick was moving toward the west-northwest at about 14 mph and it was expected to begin turning toward the northwest over the coming 48 hours before curving toward the northeast, the center said.
It's still far from clear where the storm will hit land, but the early forecast path would take it almost directly into Cabo San Lucas, where as many as wish pearl gift set 800 sports fishermen were expected to take part in the Bisbee's Los Cabos tournament, with about 130 boats scheduled to set off into the Pacific on Wednesday — the day Rick is projected to hit.
Teams from Russia and Japan had already shown up, and tournament organizer Clicerio Mercado said the three-day event would not be postponed, though fishing in the first two days might be canceled because of Rick, leaving it as a one-day event Friday.
"In past years, we have had to cancel the first day of fishing two or wholesale coral jewelry three times," Mercado said. "But postponing it (the entire tournament) isn't a possibility."
Mercado said that in the past, "very big" 700 to 800 pound fish had been caught in the wake of storms because the churned-up waters draw in hungry fish.
Forecasters said Rick could carry enough force to continue past the peninsula and slam into Mexico's mainland as a hurricane somewhere near the resort city of Mazatlan on Thursday.
Rick was the second-strongest hurricane in the eastern North Pacific since 1966, when experts began keeping reliable records, said Hurricane Center meteorologist Hugh Cobb.
The strongest was Hurricane Linda, which generated maximum winds of 185 mph in September 1997.
"Rick is probably going to go into the record books as one of the most rapidly intensifying hurricanes," Cobb said.
The storm was generating some waves up to 50 feet high near its core, Cobb said, adding there were ship reports of 16-foot seas elsewhere off the akoya pearl necklace Mexican coast. Rick was also expected to send large sea swells against Mexico's Pacific coast .
The first inhabited land in Rick's path is Socorro Island, about 300 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas. The island is a nature reserve with a small Mexican Navy post and it hosts scuba-diving expeditions in winter months.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or inflatable bouncer redistributed.
[General
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03 November, 2009 20:36
Where the Wild Things Are debuted in theaters this weekend. But it
could hardly match the wildness that unfolded on college football
fields in week seven. A narrow escape by the top-ranked defending
national champion, a pair of top-15 teams losing to opponents that had
only one victory apiece entering the weekend, and the winner of the Red
River Rivalry actually dropping a spot in the rankings were just a few
of the happpenings reflected in inflatable slides the new USA TODAY Top 25 Coaches' poll.
Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones pushes away South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
CAPTION
By Marvin Gentry, US Presswire
The first Bowl Championship Series standings will be released between 4 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday ET on FOX.
Florida is still No.1 in the coaches poll, though the Gators needed a late rally and got help from a missed field goal to outlast Arkansas 23-20. Meanwhile, Alabama continues to impress the voters. The Crimson Tide again used its stifling defense to overpower South Carolina 20-6 and moved up to No. 2. Alabama picked up four first-place votes and now totals nine. Texas slipped to third despite winning a hard-fought 16-13 decision over archrival Oklahoma at pearl necklace their annual meeting in Dallas.
Alabama also took over the top spot in the AP media poll, passing Florida.
Southern California, the only team among the top eight that is not undefeated, climbed to fourth after outlasting perennial rival Notre Dame 34-27. Boise State regained the No. 5 spot it held for a week earlier this season. The Broncos of the Western Athletic Conference remain the highest-ranked club from a league without an automatic Bowl Championship Series guarantee, though No. 7 TCU of the Mountain West is closing. No. 6 Cincinnati and No. 8 Iowa also kept their records unblemished.
Virginia Tech was the highest-ranked team to suffer a loss over the weekend. The then-No. 4 Hokies dropped their first Atlantic Coast Conference contest of the season at Georgia Tech and fell 11 places to No.15. The Yellow Jackets moved up seven spots to freshwater pearl jewelry No. 13, and fellow ACC Coastal contender Miami (Fla.) climbed to No. 9.
Ohio State and Kansas were the most surprising upset victims. The Buckeyes fell nine positions to No. 17 following a loss at Purdue, and the Jayhawks went down six places to 21st after suffering their first loss of the season in a wild shootout at Colorado. -- Eddie Timanus
Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones pushes away South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
CAPTION
By Marvin Gentry, US Presswire
The first Bowl Championship Series standings will be released between 4 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday ET on FOX.
Florida is still No.1 in the coaches poll, though the Gators needed a late rally and got help from a missed field goal to outlast Arkansas 23-20. Meanwhile, Alabama continues to impress the voters. The Crimson Tide again used its stifling defense to overpower South Carolina 20-6 and moved up to No. 2. Alabama picked up four first-place votes and now totals nine. Texas slipped to third despite winning a hard-fought 16-13 decision over archrival Oklahoma at pearl necklace their annual meeting in Dallas.
Alabama also took over the top spot in the AP media poll, passing Florida.
Southern California, the only team among the top eight that is not undefeated, climbed to fourth after outlasting perennial rival Notre Dame 34-27. Boise State regained the No. 5 spot it held for a week earlier this season. The Broncos of the Western Athletic Conference remain the highest-ranked club from a league without an automatic Bowl Championship Series guarantee, though No. 7 TCU of the Mountain West is closing. No. 6 Cincinnati and No. 8 Iowa also kept their records unblemished.
Virginia Tech was the highest-ranked team to suffer a loss over the weekend. The then-No. 4 Hokies dropped their first Atlantic Coast Conference contest of the season at Georgia Tech and fell 11 places to No.15. The Yellow Jackets moved up seven spots to freshwater pearl jewelry No. 13, and fellow ACC Coastal contender Miami (Fla.) climbed to No. 9.
Ohio State and Kansas were the most surprising upset victims. The Buckeyes fell nine positions to No. 17 following a loss at Purdue, and the Jayhawks went down six places to 21st after suffering their first loss of the season in a wild shootout at Colorado. -- Eddie Timanus
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10 October, 2009 03:01
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