Tonya Couch was released on bond from the Tarrant County jail in Fort Worth shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday.
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As Radar previously reported, the mother of so-called “affluenza” teen Ethan Couch was taken into custody over the holidays, after being caught aiding her fugitive son in his escape to Mexico.
Seeking justice for four people killed in a drunk driving accident, nonprofit advocacy group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MAAD) has started a petition urging the justice system to try “affluenza” teen Ethan Couch as an adult ahead of a January 19 hearing. Earlier this month, she complained about the conditions she has faced at the Texas jail where she is being held on $1 million bond.
Meanwhile, Couch was unable to post a formal plea, as her lawyer was late to the court hearing. While free on bond, Couch must report to authorities on a weekly basis, reside in Tarrant County with her 29-year-old son and his family, and will be placed under 24-hour house arrest.
Ethan Couch became widely known during his 2013 trial when a psychologist for his defense team testified the teen had “affluenza” – a condition that left him with a reduced sense of responsibility due to his wealthy and dysfunctional parents.
The mother of a Texas teenager who used an “affluenza” defence for a deadly wreck is expected to leave jail soon after a judge on Monday sharply reduced her bond.
Anderson told reporters on Monday there was a possibility Tonya Couch could flee again.
Tonya Couch, front right, heads to the defense table before her bond reduction hearing Monday, Jan 11, 2016, in court in Fort Worth, Texas.
The mother-son duo went on the run after a video surfaced of Ethan violating his probation at a party. Tonya Couch’s son Stephen McWilliams revealed during questioning that a pickup truck that disappeared at the same time as Ethan and Tonya Couch belonged to her husband’s sheet metal company. She will plead not guilty, said Stephanie Patten, her attorney.
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Prosecutors had sought a 20-year jail sentence, but Ethan Couch was instead sentenced to 10 years of probation, during which he was required to be drug- and alcohol-free. Authorities say they were able to track them after the two ordered a pizza. That, despite the still unaccounted for $30,000 she withdrew from the bank before heading to Puerto Vallarta, she has no access to cash.
