Balloon boy dad 'thinks world will end in 2012'

Richard Heene, the man suspected of the alleged "balloon boy" hoax, was influenced by a belief that that the world will end in 2012, according to a friend. Robert Thomas, who claims to have been a confidante and researcher for Mr Heene, has been interviewed by police. According to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Thomas's lawyer, Linda Lee, claimed: "Heene believes the world is going to end in 2012. "Because of that he wanted to make money quickly, become rich enough to build a bunker or something underground, where he can be safe from the sun exploding."The boy-in-the-balloon story sparked a frantic search in Colorado last week. Authorities believe it was a hoax concocted to land a reality television show.
The boy's parents Richard and Mayumi Heene, of Fort Collins, are facing charges over Thursday's incident. They deny the event was staged. 
Investigators are also examining the likelihood of there being other conspirators, "including the possibility that even some of the media outlets may have had some knowledge about this," Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said.Click through the images below for more on this story.