VIDEO: Attorney Claims Balloon Boy Parents Wrongly Accused Of Hoax
Oct. 19 2009, Published 11:52 a.m. ET
The Denver-based attorney for Richard and Mayumi Heene, the parents of the 6-year-old boy mistakenly believed to have floated off to his doom in a helium balloon last Thursday, told the Today Show on Monday that he's unaware evidence authorities possess against the pair in connection with the incident.
Heene Family May Have To Pay For Hoax
"The presumption of innocence exists for a reason in this country and unfortunately, no one believes in the presumption of innocence," attorney David Lane said, comparing the Hennes to Richard Jewel, the man falsely accused of bombing the 1996 Olympics.
Balloon Boy Parents House Searched
Lane said the couple was willing to turn themselves in if arrested, and did not want it to happen to arrested publicly before a media procession (and their kids), calling it "child abuse."
A worldwide audience watched Oct. 15, as the homemade helium balloon soared 7,000 feet over eastern Colorado for just under two hours; it was revealed during the dramatic incident that the boy's family had gained fame on the ABC reality show Wife Swap.
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