Charges to be laid against balloon boy's dad

After meeting today with the parents of Colorado's 'balloon boy,' the Larimer County Sheriff's Office said tonight that it is preparing criminal charges against the boy's father and possibly other family members.

Search warrants are being drawn up, media reports indicate.

A sheriff's spokesman did not indicate the nature of the the charges, but suggested that additional charges might by laid by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Associated Press is reporting tonight that a Class 3 misdemeanor charge is being considered - a category including false reporting of crimes.

Meanwhile, the website Gawker.com has posted portions of an audio interview with a researcher who worked with the dad, Richard Heene, developing a concept for a proposed reality television show.

The researcher, Robert Thomas, says Heene talked to him about a massive media stunt involving a weather balloon that would be as "profound" as the Roswell, New Mexico UFO incident in 1947.

Earlier today, Richard Heene summoned reporters to his home for a "major announcement," but then said nothing, asking journalists to place their questions in a cardboard box to be answered at a 7:30 p.m. news conference that never happened.