Balloon boy parents get jail time, tough probation

[SpiritWarrior]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_balloon_boy

The parents who carried out the balloon boy hoax were sentenced to jail Wednesday and given strict probation conditions that forbid them from earning any money from the spectacle for four years. Richard Heene was sentenced to 90 days in jail, including 60 days of work release that will let him pursue his job as a construction contractor while serving his time. His wife, Mayumi, was sentenced to 20 days in jail.

(More info in the link)

A bit of a slap on the wrist, but it's better than nothing, eh?

[Chewbacca]

47k in future restitution is also part of the penalty. Sounds fair enough for a first time offense, IMO.

[Kyrvias]

The wife got off with a flexible 20 days in jail? Seriously? Whoop-dee-doo. The double standard of society strikes again, it seems.

[Felix The Assassin]

Originally Posted by Kyrvias The wife got off with a flexible 20 days in jail? Seriously? Whoop-dee-doo. The double standard of society strikes again, it seems.

The father must do 30 days consecutively. Are you willing to take the children while they serve their time simultaneously?

I'm not willing for my tax money to subsidize child services! Therefore, the sentencing looks good.

Honestly, what crime did they commit?

[SpiritWarrior]

They used your taxes to pay for thousands of dollars worth of search and rescue for a kid that was never in any danger. And, they did it intentionally, premieditated.

If you're worried about your taxes paying to care for the children, the jet planes alone that were used cost alot more. And the money has already been wasted.

[Kyrvias]

Originally Posted by Felix The Assassin The father must do 30 days consecutively. Are you willing to take the children while they serve their time simultaneously? I'm not willing for my tax money to subsidize child services! Therefore, the sentencing looks good. Honestly, what crime did they commit?

However, the wife is doing her time after the husband has finished his. The court made it so that a parent is always there to take care of the child(ren?).

[SpiritWarrior]

Originally Posted by Kyrvias However, the wife is doing her time after the husband has finished his. The court made it so that a parent is always there to take care of the child(ren?).

Which is good. Even though they didn't think of any consequences in this whole thing, the courts - even in punishing them - have their children in mind.

[Kyrvias]

Originally Posted by SpiritWarrior Which is good. Even though they didn't think of any consequences in this whole thing, the courts - even in punishing them - have their children in mind.

I agree. But the problem persists that instead of equal treatment- and I think it can be agreed that the parents were in cahoots with this whole reality show thought. The father has a harsher punishment than the mother. If anything, I think they should have both got 40 days, which is the sum of their sentences, as well as being fair punishment, and still keeping the children in mind.

[VulcanRider]

Originally Posted by Kyrvias The wife got off with a flexible 20 days in jail? Seriously? Whoop-dee-doo. The double standard of society strikes again, it seems.

From what I got from this CNN story the plea deal was designed to keep the mother from getting hit with a felony charge. As a Japanese immigrant, she could've been deported.

Oh, and on top of the $47,000 fine there's an $11000 fine from the FAA.

I'd say the punishment is fair. Plus their dream of pitching a reality show is gone. Even 4 years from now, if they talk to a producer, he'll remember them as the balloon boy family. Nobody in Hollywood will touch them...

[Felix The Assassin]

VR got the article in...Here is the explanation.

Richard Heene pleaded guilty in Larimer County Court to a felony charge of attempting to influence a public servant. His wife, Mayumi Heene, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of false reporting to authorities.

Chapter 12 code:
http://www.legis.nd.gov/cencode/t121c12.pdf

And,

18-8-111. False reporting to authorities.
(1) A person commits false reporting to authorities, if:
http://www.fortlewis.edu/administrat...reporting.aspx

There we have it.