By: A mother's alleged confession she and her husband faked their six-year-old son's disappearance in a runaway balloon shouldn't have been made public, an attorney for the dad says.
Denver attorney David Lane blasted Larimer County officials for releasing documents Friday in the investigation into whether Mayumi and Richard Heene staged a hoax, saying the papers should have remained sealed until arrests were made.
"It's further proof of what that sheriff will do to further his own agenda and try to make it unfair to the Heenes," Lane told The Coloradoan newspaper in Fort Collins.
He said the Heenes haven't even seen the affidavit, which was used to get a warrant to search their home.
Sheriff Jim Alderden and Larimer County District Attorney Larry Abrahamson said releasing such documents is common if there's not an order to seal a document.
Mayumi Heene admitted to deputies that she and her husband knew their son, Falcon, was hiding in their Fort Collins home while authorities were chasing the homemade, UFO-shaped helium balloon, according to the affidavit. She is represented by lawyer Lee Christian, who was travelling and didn't immediately respond to messages left with his office.
The Heenes' reports that the boy was inside a compartment on the bottom of the balloon set off an 80-km scramble Oct. 15 in northern Colorado by police, firefighters and National Guard and media helicopters. The boy was later found at the home, where he said he'd been hiding in the garage because he was afraid he was in trouble.
Alderden said he will pursue charges against both parents, accusing them of staging a hoax for publicity as they tried to land a deal for a reality TV show. It's unclear if Mayumi Heene's alleged confession could be used against her husband.
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