Parents convicted in 2009 ‘balloon boy’ hoax pardoned

DENVER, CO (AP) — A couple convicted of criminal charges in the so-called balloon boy hoax that fascinated the country more than a decade ago were pardoned Wednesday by the governor of Colorado.

Dozens of rescue crews scrambled to save the 6-year-old boy after Richard and Mayumi Heene reported he had floated away in an homemade UFO-shaped silver helium balloon in 2009. But the child was never in the balloon, and the couple eventually pleaded guilty, served jail time and were ordered to pay restitution.

Democratic Gov. Jared Polis says they don’t deserve to be dragged down by criminal records for the rest of their lives.