Parents of 'balloon boy' strike plea deal

FORT COLLINS, Colo., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- The parents of the "balloon boy" will plead guilty to creating a hoax that their son flew off in a helium balloon from their Colorado home, an attorney said.

The father, Richard Heene, surrendered to Larimer County sheriff's deputies Thursday, The Coloradoan newspaper in Fort Collins, Colo., reported. He was released on $5,000 bond after being officially charged with a felony count of attempting to influence a public servant.

Heene and his wife, Mayumi, are to plead guilty Friday -- she to an offense of false reporting to authorities, a low-level misdemeanor.

Both are expected to receive probation but he could have faced a maximum of six years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 and she could have faced up to six months in county jail and a fine of up to $750.

A threat of deportation for Mayumi Heene, a Japanese citizen, was a factor in reaching the deal, CNN reported.

"Mayumi Heene is a citizen of Japan. As such, any felony conviction or certain misdemeanors would result in her deportation, even though her husband and children are Americans," Richard Heene's attorney said in a statement. "It is supremely ironic that law enforcement has expressed such grave concern over the welfare of the children, but it was ultimately the threat of taking the children's mother from the family and deporting her to Japan which fueled this deal."

A large silver balloon broke free from its moorings in the Heenes' yard Oct. 15 and floated over Colorado for hours. Mayumi Heene called 911 and said the couple feared their 6-year-old son, Falcon, was in the craft. The story captured the attention of millions of people across the United States, as military aircraft tracked the balloon in the air and rescuers chased it on the ground.

Mayumi Heene later admitted the event was a hoax and that Falcon was safe, hiding in the garage attic the entire time, authorities said.