【こぼれ話】米「気球少年」騒動、両親に恩赦

【ロサンゼルスＡＦＰ＝時事】2009年に米コロラド州で息子が気球で飛ばされたと自作自演騒動を起こして禁錮刑を受けた両親について、ジャレッド・ポリス知事は23日、恩赦を与えた。（写真は米コロラド州フォートコリンズで裁判所を離れるリチャード・ヒーニさん＜中央＞と妻のマユミさん＜左＞）
　２００９年１０月、リチャード・ヒーニさんと妻のマユミさんは、当時６歳だった息子のファルコンさんが円盤形の気球で飛ばされたと通報。気球が飛ぶ様子はテレビで生中継され、「気球少年」として世界中のメディアに大きく報じられた。
　気球は５時間後、１１０キロ離れた場所に着陸したが、誰も乗っていなかった。ファルコンさんは自宅の隠れ場所から出てきた。
　ヒーニさんは公務執行妨害の罪で禁錮９０日の刑を受け、マユミさんは当局に虚偽の通報をしたとして禁錮２０日を言い渡された。マユミさんはその後、米国の市民権を取得した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/12/25-11:20）

Two Colorado parents jailed for falsely claiming their six-year-old son Falcon had floated away in a homemade balloon shaped like a flying saucer have been granted pardons by the western US state's governor.
Richard and Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty in 2009 to the balloon boy hoax, which became a worldwide media sensation with millions watching live as the silver helium balloon drifted through the skies for 70 miles (110 kilometers).
The October 2009 incident ended after five hours when the grounded balloon was found to be empty and Falcon emerged from a hiding place at the family home.
The husband and wife, accused by prosecutors of plotting to use the publicity to land the family their own reality television series, were pardoned Wednesday by Governor Jared Polis.
It's time to no longer let a permanent criminal record from the balloon boy saga follow and drag down the parents for the rest of their lives, wrote Polis in a statement, saying the pair had paid the price in the eyes of the public.
Law enforcement's suspicions were inflated when Falcon let slip in a CNN television interview that the entire episode had been done for the show.
The hoax was seemingly confirmed within 48 hours of the interview, when Japanese-born Mayumi Heene reportedly broke down under police questioning.
But she has since said she only confessed out of fear of being deported, and her husband last year told ABC they had genuinely feared their son was aboard the balloon.
Richard Heene, handed a 90-day sentence for trying to influence a public servant, now owns a small business and has contributed to his community by researching and educating about extreme weather events, wrote Polis.
Mayumi Heene, sentenced to 20 days in jail for false reporting to authorities, has become a naturalized American citizen. The couple now live in Florida.
Falcon, now a teenager, went on to form a heavy metal band with his brothers, Ryo and Bradford, releasing a song titled Balloon Boy, No Hoax and an accompanying low-budget video featuring a mocked-up flying saucer.