"Balloon Boy" Dad Richard Heene and the Polygraph

[George W. Maschke]

In a televised press conference (ongoing as I write), Larimer County, Colorado sheriff Jim Alderden today spoke of a plan to lure Richard Heene, father of "Balloon Boy" Falcon Heene, into taking a lie detector test. The plan was to use the results as leverage in an interrogation in the event that he "failed." To this end, Heene was invited to come pick up his balloon, but upon arrival was informed that the Sheriff's Department needed to ask him some questions first.

Alderden stated that a Colorado law rule prevents him from speaking of the results of any forensic test, and even whether or not such a test was conducted. (I'm skeptical of this claim, but will look into it. It's hard to imagine that Sheriff Alderden would be prohibited by law from stating that a suspect had not been polygraphed.) In any event, Alderden revealed that statements made by Heene (who has not been placed under arrest) then became the basis for a search warrant of his home, and that a variety of criminal charges will be filed recommended in the Balloon Boy case.