Balloon Boy Parents Richard Heene, Mayumi Heene Get Jail Time, Probation
Richard Heene with son
Hot-tempered “balloon boy” dad Richard Heene once got so angry he trashed a Volkswagon while fighting with the car’s owner, according to newly released court records.
Heene was duking it out with a man named Benito Ortiz in Los Angeles in April 1997 when he took his rage out on Ortiz’s 1987 Volkswagon, records released Tuesday show.
He caused thousands of dollars worth of damage – and was convicted of vandalism and disturbing the peace.
Heene was sentenced to 30 days in jail, but served just four and spent the remaining time on house arrest.
He was on probation for two years following the dust-up. Ortiz could not be reached for comment.
“Clearly, from all indications, Mr. Heene has somewhat of a temper,” Larimer County (Colo.) Sheriff Jim Alderden said over the weekend when he announced the dad would face felony charges for a stunt that fooled the nation.
He and wife Mayumi told police that their 6-year-old son, Falcon, had climbed aboard a homemade balloon, which broke free and took off.
A 50-mile, three-county rescue operation ensued, but when the balloon finally landed, there was no child inside.
Authorities believe the flying-saucer flap was a hoax and Falcon’s folks knew he was safe at home the whole time.
LA court records also show that Richard Heene took out a restraining order against an “ex-employee” in 2006, claiming the man “eroneously (sic) reported me to the the Department of Children and Family Services.”
In the request, Heene wrote that Matt Wineroth had reported him to the authorities after he was accused of stealing from the Heene family.
“Stop falsely reporting derogatory information to agencies who have an interest to conduct investigations resulting in wasting my time,” Richard Heene wrote in the 2006 restraining order application.
Wineroth could not be reached for comment. In Colorado, where the family moved after living in California, the sheriff said police have responded to the Heene house at least twice in the past year, including a possible domestic violence incident in February.
Child protective services are set to investigate the family, the sheriff said, adding that Mayumi Heene declined officials’ suggestion on Saturday that she go to a safe house. The sheriff said officials talked to her “about domestic violence, about her safety, about her children’s safety.”
Lee Christian, Mayumi Heene’s lawyer, told ABC News on Tuesday that Richard Heene alone should be charged in the hoax because of testimony that indicates Mayumi is meek and subservient to her husband.
“I can’t comment on the specific allegations here, but if those statements are indeed true, then the district attorney needs to seriously think about whether to charge Mrs. Heene in this case,” Christian said.
Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration announced its own investigation into the balloon flight.
Heene and his wife could face federal charges from the FAA or FBI in addition his local legal trouble.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/10/20/2009-10-20_balloon_boy_dad_richard_heene_has_long_history_of_rage.html#ixzz0aXOumGQk
Today, Larimer County, Colo., Court Judge Stephen Schapanski sentenced the couple behind one of the year’s biggest media stunts to a total of 110 days jail and eight years probation. He also prohibited the couple from making any money off the balloon boy fiasco during that time.
Schapanski stated that Richard Heene must spend 30 days in jail beginning Jan. 11, 2010. The remaining 60 days of his 90-day sentence may be carried out under “work release,” meaning he can work during the day and spend nights in prison.
“This will be supervised probation,” Schapanski said about that part of the sentence. “The terms and conditions will be that Mr. Heene is in fact prohibited from receiving any form of financial benefit — whether it be media, a book, an article he writes — anything of that kind that stems from this incident.”
The judge also ruled that Richard Heene must write a letter of apology to the community and public service agencies that were roped into the Oct. 15 stunt, perform 100 hours of community service and submit to random drug or alcohol testing.
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