Tonya Couch, the mother of affluenza-afflicted teen Ethan Couch, is back in Tarrant County after taking a probation-dodging trip to Mexico with her son. News cameras show Tonya arriving at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport from Los Angeles.
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Couch, who was apprehended in Mexico on December 28 alongside her 18-year-old son Ethan, faces a felony charge of hindering the apprehension of a felon. A video surfaced online that showed someone who resembled him at a party where people appeared to drink alcohol. Mother and son had fled Texas for Mexico in November before being captured late last month. Couch’s attorney has requested a bond reduction and Salvant indicated that request may be addressed at a hearing on Monday.
The teen’s disappearance reignited controversy over the case and renewed calls for him – and his mother – to be held accountable.
She declined to confirm whether Couch was on her way to Texas, but authorities there have said they would bring her back by Friday. Couch said that she is married to Fred Couch.
Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson, who was in the courtroom Friday with several sheriff’s deputies, said Couch “expressed a slight bit of displeasure about her accommodations”.
She confirmed that she has hired a lawyer.
Tarrant County Judge Wayne Salvant advised Couch of the charge against her and asked whether she understood.
Ethan Couch remains in a detention center in Mexico City after taking legal action to delay his deportation to the United States. “We wait, we will be here”, Sheriff Anderson said. “It’s not a question if he’s coming back; it’s a question of when he’s coming”.
“The dog was never in our possession, so I can not deny or confirm that the dog was there”, said Rafael Mayorga, a spokesman for the Jalisco fiscal office, to the Morning News.
Ethan Couch was driving drunk and speeding near Fort Worth in June 2013 when he crashed into a disabled SUV, killing four people and injuring several others, including passengers in his pickup truck.
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On an interesting but unrelated note, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen were on the same flight to North Texas as Tonya Couch. Her bail has been set at $1 million and she faces 2 to 10 years in prison.
