Down and Out in Larimer County

Balloon Dad’s lawyer wins today’s award for Best Callback to the Patricide Orphan Gag:

David Lane, a Colorado civil rights lawyer who is representing Richard Heene, said both Mr. Heene and his wife, Mayumi, would plead not guilty and would turn themselves in to avoid further public spectacle.

Mr. Lane contended that placing handcuffs on the Heenes, in the full glare of the news media and for their children to see, would be abusive to the youngsters…

When asked how the Heenes were doing Monday, Mr. Lane said: “They are holding up as well as any family under siege would be holding up. They’re doing the best they can.”

See, now we’re supposed to feel sorry for the besieged famewhore Dad who called the local TV station before he called 911. Have we no shame?

Meanwhile, Harry Shearer alerts us to a curious aside in the Washington Times story:

The sheriff said he planned to interview others about the case, saying that “clearly there were other people who had some knowledge about this,” which could include the media. He said that at least one media outlet had offered to pay the Heenes for their story, although he refused to name the organization.

So, did the hoax go beyond the Heene Family Circus? We were already satisfied with the entertainment value of the show, but we might get an encore. Although frankly, we’re running out of balloon graphics.

Parents in Balloon Case to Surrender [NYT]