Since last week, media and the public have been buzzing about the "balloon boy" — a 6-year-old boy whose parents, it seems, may have lied about his whereabouts in order to gain a spot on a reality television show.
The parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene of For Collins, Colo., told local law enforcement that their son was in a hot air balloon released Thursday when he was actually in their attic. The incident launched a search with helicopters and a media frenzy for several hours.
The incident has sparked widespread disgust at the parents' behavior and law enforcement has announced it will press criminal charges on the parents for lying to law enforcement.
What you're saying:
"If it was a hoax, the parents should be punished for using their child for publicity stunt. It is irresponsible. It is complete disrespect for the police and the American public." - Kelly Buchanan, freshman, undecided
"They should take his kids away and lock him in jail. I don't care how long they lock him in jail. Twenty years seems reasonable to me." - Toy Beeninga, sophomore, political science.
"The people who organized the hoax should face criminal charges because they wasted police time and human effort that could have been spent on something more important that was a real emergency."- Haley Gallagher, freshman, biochemistry
"I think they should take criminal charges because they spent police time. It was kind of an abuse of the legal system." - Laura Essick, sophomore, English and communication studies
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