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Earlier this week, we reported on the situation known as the Balloon Box Hoax. Six year old Falcon Heene was thought to be trapped in a homemade balloon, but after the authorities scrambled, closing Denver International Airport, the balloon was found empty.
Little Falcon(what an ironic name) was hiding in the attic. Initially, the authorities believed that the parents were not in on the hoax, and it was simply a mistake. Falcon, in an interview on “Larry King Live,†said to his father, “You guys said that, um, we did this for the show.†This made the world suspicious, which just shows your co-conspirator should not be a little boy if you want to be sure you are not caught. The authorities, or at least the local sheriff, now have no doubt this was a hoax.
Possible charges the parents might face are three felonies: conspiracy to commit a crime, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and attempt to influence a public servant. The last carries a possible prison term of six years.
So, were the Heenes media hogs who were trying to get their own reality show? Child advocates warn that reality-TV producers and news organizations are exploiting children from exotic backgrounds for higher ratings. Every time we turn on the TV, we find another reality show, many of which do exploit family life and children(And yet A&EÂ canceled Airline).
And now, with our apologies…
It was all a hoax and was bound to fail, Here endeth Balloon Boy's tale.
