Remember Balloon Boy’s Dad? He Just Got Pardoned

I remember watching the Balloon Boy saga unfold live on TV. I also remember watching it and thinking to myself, "Where the f*** is the kid in that balloon? There's no place for him to be." As it turns out, I was right. The kid was back at the house the whole time. If you need a refresher, you can watch this to get all the details on the Balloon Boy saga.

The family even did an update on the 10 year anniversary of the hoax.

And Jimmy Kimmel had some fun with it 10 years after the fact as well.

Here we are just over 11 years after the hoax and the dad is getting pardoned by the Governor of Colorado. The dad, Richard Heene, had spent a month in jail after pleading guilty to a felony count of attempting to influence a public servant, while his wife, Mayumi Heene spent 20 days in a jail for filling a false report. The couple was also ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution. Both Richard and Mayumi are still sticking to their guns on the story that they believed their son was in the balloon.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis said that the reason he pardoned the couple was he believes the couple has "paid the price in the eyes of the public." Considering they've already served their time and the issue was seemingly settled, what does the pardon mean?

Pardons symbolize forgiveness for the crime, but usually don’t wipe out guilt or expunge the conviction. This typically means that, where asked, job applicants must disclose the conviction, though they can add that a pardon was granted. It also means courts can consider pardoned offenses when deciding the appropriate punishment for any future crimes. See below for more on the effects of pardons.