A SHERIFF has said he was pursuing criminal charges in Colorado’s “balloon boy” saga, which first sparked fear for the child, then relief and now suspicions of a hoax.

Police searched the home of the parents of Colorado’s “balloon boy” early today after the sheriff said he was pursuing criminal charges.

THE father of a 6-year-old boy who was thought to be in a helium balloon that floated away and was pursued by military helicopters said yesterday accusations that the ordeal was a publicity stunt are “extremely pathetic”.

The father of a boy feared to have been carried away in a balloon today angrily denied the drama which gripped millions was a publicity stunt.

A TODDLER missing for three-and-half years whose tattered clothes were discovered last week was probably attacked by a mountain lion, authorities said. Three-year-old Jaryd Atadero vanished on October 2, 1999, while on a hiking trip with a church group. He had been running ahead so he could find hiding places and say “Boo!”.