Richard Heene, the father at the center of the infamous "Balloon Boy'' hoax in Colorado last year, has moved to Bradenton with his family.
Heene, who is a felon after pleading guilty to charges related to the hoax, had his mug shot and fingerprints taken at 7:50 a.m. Friday. That is required of felons moving to a county in Florida, said Dave Bristow, spokesman for the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
Heene's job is listed as general contractor, Bristow said, and he gave an address east of Bradenton in the Lakewood Ranch area. Denver television station KMGH reported that the family recently left its Fort Collins home to move near relatives in Florida.
The nation was captivated in October when Heene contacted authorities and said his son, Falcon, had climbed into a makeshift balloon in their back yard before the balloon took off, headed toward Denver International Airport. Live footage of the incident was featured on many national television stations.
When the balloon finally landed, authorities found no one inside. Falcon was discovered hours later hiding in the garage.
Falcon later told CNN that he "did it for the show." Heene was later convicted of trying to get publicity for a reality TV show he was pitching by staging the hoax.
Heene served 28 days in jail for falsely influencing authorities. His wife, Mayumi, did community service for filing a false report.
Authorities in Colorado told KMGH the Heenes had permission to move to Florida, but the family still owes part of the $48,000 that agencies spent during the Oct. 15 incident.
[Last modified: Sep 03, 2010 02:26 PM]
If we find this down here we'll know who to blame...
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...well that stinks.