Balloon-boy parents get balloon back

[May 15, 2010]  FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) -- The runaway UFO-like balloon that the world thought was carrying a 6-year-old boy is back in the hands of the parents who pleaded guilty to the hoax.

The Larimer County Sheriff's office says Richard Heene asked to measure the balloon to make sure it was the same one he launched into infamy on Oct. 15.

Authorities say the Heenes staged the hoax to try to get attention for a reality television show.

Heene completed a 90-day jail sentence for his plea of falsely influencing authorities. His wife, Mayumi, was sentenced to 10 weekends working at nonprofits for filing a false report.

The Heenes have agreed to pay $36,000 in restitution to agencies that responded to the hoax.

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Information from: KUSA-TV, http://www.9news.com/

[Associated Press]

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