'Balloon boy' parents plead guilty

FORT COLLINS, Colo., Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Richard and Mayumi Heene, the parents of the so-called Balloon Boy, pleaded guilty Friday in a Larimer County, Colo., court, attorneys said.

Attorneys for the couple said Richard Heene pleaded guilty to a felony charge of attempting to influence a public servant as part of a deal with prosecutors that could result in him serving as much as 90 days in jail plus probation, CNN reported.

The prosecution deal could also result in Mayumi Heene, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of false reporting to authorities, serving probation and as much as 60 days in jail.

The charges against the Fort Collins couple arose from the infamous Oct. 15 incident in which the couple's 6-year-old son Falcon was feared to be trapped in a large, runaway helium balloon that drifted 50 miles across three counties while millions of people watched the news coverage on television.

CNN said Mayumi Heene was accused of telling 911 dispatchers her son was trapped in the balloon floating above Colorado.

In reality, Falcon Heene was safe in the garage attic of his family's home.

Richard Heene, a handyman and amateur scientist, allegedly concocted the scheme to attract interest in the family for a reality TV show. The couple previously had appeared on the series "Wife Swap."