EXCLUSIVE: Balloon Boy Mom Escapes Jail Sentence
April 21 2010, Published 1:20 p.m. ET
Balloon boy mom, Mayumi Heene, will not be serving any jail time, despite being sentenced to 20 days for her part in the hot air balloon hoax, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal.
In addition, the family have been given a lucky break financially – the Heenes have had their $48,000 fine slashed to $36,000.
RadarOnline.com has learned that mom-of-three Mayumi Heene started a 10 week supervised community service on April 10, 2010, she originally received four years probation in addition to her 20 days in jail.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Watch Heene’s Bizarre Short Movie
A source told RadarOnline.com, “It was decided that because she had three young sons that she could do the supervised community service instead.
“This means that on Saturday and Sunday she will check in with the alternative sentencing unit and do the supervised community work between 8am and 5pm before being allowed to return home.
EXCLUSIVE: Balloon Boy Dad Richard Heene Visited In Prison By Wife
“The work that she will be doing could vary from cleaning out horse barns, to stuffing envelopes or setting-up halls – it is all non-profit.
“Mayumi has to undergo both alcohol and drug tests during the community service and if she fails any of these tests then she will be jailed.
“It’s a sweet deal, so, it is not anticipated that she will not complete the community service within the guidelines.”
Lawyers for Richard and Mayumi Heene agreed with prosecutors in advance to reduce the fine stemming from the prank in which they claimed that their son Falcon Heene floated away from their Fort Collins, Colorado, home in the balloon.
Larimer County Chief Judge Stephen Schapanski accepted the agreement during a short hearing Tuesday which calls for the Heenes to pay $36,016.53 to cover the costs of the search for their son which included hundreds of officers and two National Guard helicopters.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Richard Heene, whose flying saucer balloon received national attention when it was thought his six-year-old son was inside, had been sentenced to 30 days in jail and another 60 days on work release program.
He successfully completed his sentences which he started on January 11, 2010, and is currently working towards repaying the new reduced fine.
