Balloon scare parents to admit hoax

The parents of a six-year-old boy who was feared to have floated off in a flying saucer-shaped balloon in Colorado will plead guilty to some hoax charges to keep the family together.

Richard Heene, 48, will own up to the felony of attempting to influence a public servant, according to his lawyer David Lane. His 45-year-old wife Mayumi will plead guilty to the misdemeanour of false reporting to authorities.