Balloon Boy family's craziness may be contagious

The latest developments in the Balloon Boy case -- i.e., Larimer County authorities declaring the whole thing to have been a hoax -- seem to have frayed the nerves of the Heene family's Fort Collins neighbors. Clips like this one from Friday, in which a woman defends the clan ("This...

By Michael Roberts

October 19, 2009

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The latest developments in the Balloon Boy case -- i.e., Larimer County authorities declaring the whole thing to have been a hoax -- seem to have frayed the nerves of the Heene family's Fort Collins neighbors. Clips like this one from Friday, in which a woman defends the clan ("This was not a joke!" she declares), have given way to expressions of betrayal exemplified by the clip after the jump. Even more extreme is footage aired last night by Channel 7: In it, a nearby resident chewing out reporters for blocking access to his car is tackled and pummeled by another guy, for reasons unknown. Meanwhile, CSU student Robert Thomas has told Gawker that he helped Heene dad Richard plan a weather balloon hoax -- information for which Gawker paid him. Networks, cable-news purveyors and news websites have presumably made plenty of green off this nutty escapade, too, and will continue to do so in the near term. And the balloonatics themselves? At this point, not so much.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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