TMZ: Richard Heene Has Criminal History

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Details have emerged about a 1997 incident in which Richard Heene , who allegedly engineered the balloon boy hoax, pled no contest to vandalism and spent four days in jail.

TMZ reports that when Heene was a contractor, he had an employee named Benito Ortiz who went to his house to get $300 that Heene owed him. An argument began and spilled out to the front of the house. Heene handed Ortiz $140, but Ortiz wasn't satisfied. According to the arrest report, the argument then escalated when Heene got into his pickup truck, backed up and tried to hit Ortiz. Ortiz was able to get out of the way, but instead, his VW car was struck. Heene proceeded to pull forward, back up and hit Ortiz's car two more times before getting out of his truck, grabbing a wooden beam and screaming at Ortiz to leave his property.

Heene was jailed for four days and paid $100 in restitution.

But Heene's rap sheet doesn't end there. TMZ reports Heene was involved in two other criminal cases. In 1984 Heene was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon -- a gun -- and received three years probation. In 1991 Heene was arrested for corporal injury on a spouse, but wasn't convicted.

Heene's explosive temper could be seen on several episodes of the ABC show "Wife Swap" on which he and his family appeared. In one scene, Heene tossed a glass of milk at the woman who had swapped places with his wife.

Investigators are continuing to interview Heene's associates to determine whether criminal charges will be filed against him and his wife Mayumi. On Tuesday Robert Thomas told the "Today" show that he had nothing to do with the balloon hoax. Thomas' attorney Linda Lee told the AP that Heene was "obsessed" with trying to land a TV show and become famous.

"Heene believes the world is going to end in 2012," Lee said. "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."