Balloon boy family moves to Florida

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) - The family at the center of the balloon boy hoax has moved out of the house where the fateful trip began, leaving Colorado for Florida.

Richard and Mayumi Heene and their three boys have moved to Bradenton, Fla., where Richard Heene will continue working in construction, state court officials said.

The Heenes reported in October that their 6-year-old son had floated away in a homemade UFO-shaped helium balloon, touching off a scramble of dozens of emergency responders and two Colorado National Guard helicopters.

The boy wasn't on the balloon and was later found at his home in Fort Collins, about 60 miles north of Denver. Authorities accused the Heenes of staging a hoax to get publicity for reality TV shows they were trying to pitch.

Richard Heene pleaded guilty to a felony count of attempting to influence a public servant and served a 30-day jail term. Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty to filing a false report and served a 20-day jail term.

Jon Sarche, a spokesman for the State Court Administrator's Office, said the Heenes' probation has been transferred to Florida.

Terms of their probation include not selling their story or profiting from the saga until December 2013. They also must make regular monthly payments toward $36,000 in restitution ordered by the court.

The Heenes also were fined $8,000 by the Federal Aviation Administration for launching an aircraft that wandered into the path of planes at Denver International Airport, briefly forcing the closure of a runway.

The Larimer County sheriff's office and other agencies had sought $48,000 for responding to the Oct. 15 incident.

Richard and Mayumi Heene, and their sons, left Colorado Monday and arrived in Florida Thursday, Sarche said.

Television footage of the house they lived in just outside of Fort Collins showed the family left behind belongings including plates, tools, chairs and appliances.