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    'Balloon Boy' Parents Pardoned By Colorado Governor For 2009 Hoax

    The incident captured the attention of many as authorities sought to save the boy, thought to be stuck in an airborne weather balloon. Later, authorities called the situation a hoax.
    by Reese Oxner Dec 24, 2020 3 minutes
    Richard and Mayumi Heene leave a Larimer County, Colo., courtroom after their sentencing hearing in 2009. Richard Heene was sentenced to 90 days in jail, 100 hours of community service and four years' probation for his part in the "balloon boy" hoax. His wife was sentenced to 20 days in jail and four years' probation.

    The so-called balloon boy incident captivated television audiences in 2009 as the parents of a 6-year-old — appropriately named Falcon — reported he had been carried away in a large, UFO-like balloon, thousands of feet in the air.

    News media helicopters tracked the balloon. The National Guard sent another two helicopters in a rescue attempt. Denver International Airport was temporarily closed as thousands awaited news of the boy's fate.

    Falcon's parents, Richard and

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