“Affluenza”: Ethan Couch Sentenced to 10 Years’ Probation for DUI Manslaughter

[texasmom]

http://www.cbs19.tv/story/30843261/report-affluenza-fugitive-ethan-couch-nabbed-in-mexico


Report: 'Affluenza' fugitive Ethan Couch nabbed in Mexico
Posted: Dec 28, 2015 9:42 PM CST
Updated: Dec 28, 2015 9:45 PM CST
 

(WFAA) - Ethan Couch, the North Texas teenager found responsible for a drunk driving crash that killed four people near Burleson in 2013, has been apprehended in Mexico along with his mother, according to a report broadcast Monday night by CNN.

WFAA has not been able to independently confirm the reported break in the case.

Couch, now 18, is the subject of an international manhunt after violating probation terms for his conviction on four counts of vehicular manslaughter.

The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office said Monday night it was aware of the CNN report, but "cannot confirm" Couch's apprehension. U.S. Marshals did not confirm the broadcast report, either.

 

[Green Eyes]

Still waiting for confirmation on whether they have detained Nathan & his mom in Mexico. I sure hope so.

[texasmom]

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/12/28/ethan-couch-caught/


Ethan Couch And Mother Caught In Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
December 28, 2015 8:53 PM

According to Mexican authorities, “Affluenza” teen Ethan Couch has been caught near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico along with his mother Tonya Couch.

He disappeared earlier this month after missing a meeting with his probation officer.

When authorities went to his house, no one was home.

Ethan Couch made national news when he was sentenced to probation for a drunk driving crash that killed four people in 2013.

The two were handed over to the authorities of the National Institute of Migration after they were unable to prove their legal stay in Mexico.

Couch is expected to be turned over to U.S. Marshals who have been searching for him.

 

[Green Eyes]

Thanks texasmom for the up date. I see he dyed his hair. Still looks like a punk. He doesn't have that smug look on his face this time.  So glad they found them.

[texasmom]

He looks "under the influence" to me.  jmo   

http://abcnews.go.com/US/affluenza-teen-ethan-couch-detained-mexico-officials/story?id=35984791

'Affluenza' Teen Ethan Couch Detained in Mexico, Officials Say

    By TOM LIDDY

Dec 29, 2015, 1:18 AM ET

 

Couch was picked up in Puerto Vallarta on Monday at 6 p.m. local time along with his mother, according to a spokesman for the Jalisco state prosecutor's office. Both underwent a medical check-up and were then transferred to immigration authorities. They are en route to Guadalajara to be transported to the U.S. It is unknown when that flight to America will take place.

The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office in Texas also confirmed the two were in Mexican custody.

Authorities were concerned that he allegedly missed a check-in with a probation officer and may have skipped town or the country and a juvenile judge issued a "directive to apprehend" on Dec. 11.

 

(cropped)



This photograph released by the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office shows American teen Ethan Couch, who was detained in Mexico on December 28, 2015. He was convicted in 2013 of four counts of intoxication manslaughter after a drunk driving accident but avoided jail.

[texasmom]

Thanks texasmom for the up date. I see he dyed his hair. Still looks like a punk. He doesn't have that smug look on his face this time.  So glad they found them.

You're welcome, Green Eyes!  I'm glad they found them too!   

[texasmom]

On GMA they showed blurry pics of Tonya Couch too, they said she refused to sit still for a picture.

She'd obviously cut her hair drastically.  


https://twitter.com/JoshuaHoyos/status/681729237649244161

Joshua Hoyos
‏@JoshuaHoyos

Authorities have released pic of Tonya Couch. Now has shorter hair- pic is blurry bc she didn't want it to be taken.

10:51 PM - 28 Dec 2015

[texasmom]

http://www.cbs19.tv/story/30843261/report-affluenza-fugitive-ethan-couch-nabbed-in-mexico


Update: Warrant to be issued for mom of "affluenza" teen
Posted: Dec 28, 2015 9:42 PM CST
Updated: Dec 29, 2015 10:25 AM CST
 

DALLAS (AP) — (10 a.m.) -  A Texas sheriff says an arrest warrant will be issued for mother of a teenager found in Mexico after fleeing probation after killing four people in a drunken-driving wreck and invoking an "affluenza" defense.

Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said Monday at a news conference that the warrant would be issued for Tonya Crouch on charges of hindering and apprehension.

Mexico's Jalisco state prosecutors' office said 18-year-old Ethan Couch and his mother were located and detained Monday evening in the Pacific Coast resort city of Puerto Vallarta.

Anderson said it appears the two planned their disappearance and even held something of a going-away party.

Anderson said the U.S. Marshals Service was working to get the two returned to the United States.

 

[texasmom]

http://www.fox4news.com/news/65180909-story

Affluenza teen Ethan Couch, mother detained in Mexico


By: FOX4News.com Staff

Posted:Dec 28 2015 09:06PM CST

Updated:Dec 29 2015 11:08AM CST

Infamous affluenza teenager Ethan Couch and his mother have been found in Mexico, according to authorities.

Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said he’s been told they were pulled over by Mexican authorities and detained near the popular beach resort Puerto Vallarta Monday afternoon.

Anderson said a fugitive task force has been working tirelessly to find the pair. The media publicity helped and they received numerous tips from both close friends and members of the general public who reported seeing them.

Ethan, who killed four people while driving drunk in 2013, and his mother, Tonya, went missing about two weeks ago. Ethan missed an appointment with his probation officer, leading authorities to believe he was on the run from law enforcement and had possibly fled the country.

 

Investigators now believe the teen and his mother always had a plan to disappear, although there is no indication that his father was involved.

“They even had something akin to a going away party before driving to Mexico,” Anderson said.

In the days before Christmas, authorities asked people to search for Tonya’s vehicle, a black 2011 Ford F-150 pick-up truck. Anderson said the task force received tips indicating that they did indeed cross the border in that truck.

The sheriff said the Couches were wise to go to Puerto Vallarta where there are a lot of American tourists during the Christmas holiday. He credited “good police work” for finding out where they were staying.

A photo of Ethan in Mexican custody shows he now has darker hair. Anderson said it’s pretty obvious he tried to change his appearance, but is still recognizable.

Anderson also said he’s not surprised that Tonya helped her son disappear. She was determined that he not be held accountable during his trial, he said.

In 2013, Ethan was convicted of intoxication manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years of probation for driving his pickup truck drunk and killing four people.

Prosecutors said his alcohol level was three times the legal limit when he caused the chain reaction crash in Burleson. The crash killed a 24-year-old stranded motorist, a youth pastor who stopped to help her and a mother and daughter who lived nearby. They were all working to change a flat on the side of the road.

Ethan was found guilty, but the defense argued he had “affluenza.” Attorneys said he was the product of a dysfunctional and abusive family -- parents who condoned drug and alcohol use and never set boundaries. He was given probation and sent to a pricey rehab facility in California.

In reference to the victim’s families, Anderson said he hopes justice will be served this time around. His department responded to the fatal crash and he said he doesn’t believe Ethan received an appropriate punishment.

“I just want to tell them that we have done everything humanly possible to bring justice. As I’ve said many times I don’t think initially justice was served,” he said.

 

Once they are back in the country, Tonya will be charged for hindering an arrest. Ethan will be returned to juvenile detention.

He will go before a judge on Jan. 19 for a hearing to transfer his probation to the adult system. Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson said that is important because the maximum punishment he could have in the juvenile system is four months, which is when he turns 19 in April.

If the judge agrees to transfer him to the adult system, he will still be bound by his original 10 year probation sentence, but he’d be held to adult standards.

“I would like to see him put an adult prison and serve out the remainder of his 10 year sentence,” Anderson said.

[texasmom]

http://www.fox4news.com/news/66053801-story

Affluenza teen Ethan Couch fighting extradition


By: FOX4News.com Staff

Posted:Dec 29 2015 10:55PM CST

Updated:Dec 30 2015 09:13AM CST

DALLAS - Affluenza Teen Ethan Couch and his mother, Tonya, are fighting extradition.

Their attorneys have filed an amparo or writ of habeas corpus in Mexico. The U.S. Marshal's office says that means it could be weeks before they are returned.

 

Mexican authorities got tip from the U.S. Marshals on their location and made the arrest after Tonya made a call for pizza.

 

Victims' families say the teen has demonstrated he can't be rehabilitated and want him moved out of juvenile detention, and into a "real" jail.

A hearing in mid-January will determine whether Ethan will remain in the juvenile system or be transferred to adult probation.

No matter what happens at that hearing, this run from the law is a matter for the juvenile court meaning 120 days in jail is likely the maximum punishment he could receive.

 

[Green Eyes]

http://www.fox4news.com/news/66053801-story

Affluenza teen Ethan Couch fighting extradition


By: FOX4News.com Staff

Posted:Dec 29 2015 10:55PM CST

Updated:Dec 30 2015 09:13AM CST

DALLAS - Affluenza Teen Ethan Couch and his mother, Tonya, are fighting extradition.

Their attorneys have filed an amparo or writ of habeas corpus in Mexico. The U.S. Marshal's office says that means it could be weeks before they are returned.

 

Mexican authorities got tip from the U.S. Marshals on their location and made the arrest after Tonya made a call for pizza.

 

Victims' families say the teen has demonstrated he can't be rehabilitated and want him moved out of juvenile detention, and into a "real" jail.

A hearing in mid-January will determine whether Ethan will remain in the juvenile system or be transferred to adult probation.

No matter what happens at that hearing, this run from the law is a matter for the juvenile court meaning 120 days in jail is likely the maximum punishment he could receive.

 

He needs more than 120 days. 

[texasmom]

https://www.facebook.com/startelegram/posts/10153914700123530

Fort Worth Star-Telegram
5 mins · Fort Worth, TX ·

‪#‎Breaking‬: Ethan Couch's mother, Tonya Couch, has been deported to the U.S., according to The Associated Press.

Will have more information as it is available.

[texasmom]

http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2015/12/sheriff-couches-fighting-extradition-to-u-s-will-most-likely-not-return-today.html/


Update: Mother of ‘affluenza’ teen Ethan Couch deported to U.S.; Mexican court grants son temporary stay against deportation
Naheed Rajwani Follow @naheedrajwani Email nrajwani@dallasnews.com
Published: December 30, 2015 9:36 am

Last updated at 2:15 p.m. to include information from a news conference held in Houston by the U.S. Marshals.
Last updated at 5:35 p.m. Revised to include Tonya Couch’s deportation

Ethan Couch’s mother was deported to the U.S. on Wednesday afternoon, the Associated Press reports.

Officials originally said Wednesday that Couch and his mother, Tonya Couch, were fighting removal from Mexico and might not return to the U.S. for several weeks.

The pair was arrested Monday in Puerto Vallarta after Ethan Couch, who got 10 years’ probation for killing four people in a DWI crash in 2013, missed a probation check-in in early December.

Mexican authorities and the U.S. Marshals service were coordinating their return, which was slated for Wednesday.

The Associated Press reports that Ethan Couch won a three-day delay in deportation. It wasn’t immediately clear, based on the AP’s report, whether Tonya Couch’s return trip was also put on hold.

In a news conference in Houston Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Marshal Richard Hunter said both Tonya and Ethan Couch had filed an “amparo” brief, asking for protection from deportation from Mexico. The filings, similar to writs of habeas corpus in the U.S., usually question the legality of deportation in hopes of delaying or canceling it.

 

[texasmom]

http://www.fox4news.com/news/66053801-story

Affluenza teen Ethan Couch fighting extradition


By: FOX4News.com Staff

Posted:Dec 29 2015 10:55PM CST

Updated:Dec 30 2015 09:13AM CST

DALLAS - Affluenza Teen Ethan Couch and his mother, Tonya, are fighting extradition.

Their attorneys have filed an amparo or writ of habeas corpus in Mexico. The U.S. Marshal's office says that means it could be weeks before they are returned.

 

Mexican authorities got tip from the U.S. Marshals on their location and made the arrest after Tonya made a call for pizza.

 

Victims' families say the teen has demonstrated he can't be rehabilitated and want him moved out of juvenile detention, and into a "real" jail.

A hearing in mid-January will determine whether Ethan will remain in the juvenile system or be transferred to adult probation.

No matter what happens at that hearing, this run from the law is a matter for the juvenile court meaning 120 days in jail is likely the maximum punishment he could receive.

 

He needs more than 120 days. 

I agree, that's just crazy!   

[texasmom]

https://twitter.com/JoshuaHoyos/status/682352012609085440

Joshua Hoyos ‏@JoshuaHoyos

23 seconds ago

#TonyaCouch has been deported to the US, an official at the Mexico's National Immigration Institute confirms to @ABC News.

[texasmom]

Portrait of a bad mother, imo.   

Her hair doesn't look as short as it did in the blurry pics.

http://www.people.com/article/affluenza-teen-mom-tonya-couch-arrested-los-angeles

'Affluenza' Teen's Mom Tonya Couch Arrested in L.A. After Allegedly Helping Son Flee to Mexico

By Michele Corriston @mcorriston

12/31/2015 AT 09:20 AM EST

Tonya Couch (center) being arrested at Los Angeles International Airport
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

 

Tonya Couch was photographed being taken away in handcuffs by U.S. Marshals after landing at Los Angeles International Airport early Thursday morning. She was booked at 1:37 a.m. without bail, and there is no known date for her court appearance.

Tonya, 38, faces a felony charge for allegedly helping her 18-year-old son flee the country while out on probation. They were both detained in Mexico on Monday after authorities tracked a phone call to Domino's Pizza to the Puerto Vallarta apartment where they were hiding.

 

[Sister]

Tonya Couch posts bond after it was lowered to $75K; she’ll be released Tuesday

Posted 6:19 pm, January 11, 2016, by CNN Wire Service, Updated at 10:43pm, January 11, 2016

 

On Friday, Tarrant County Magistrate Judge Matt King ordered Tonya Couch to undergo a mental exam after the court found “reasonable cause” to believe that she suffers from “a mental illness or is a person with a mental retardation,” according to court documents.

The judge’s order was issued Friday and must be completed within 30 days. The mother will plead not guilty, said Stephanie Patten, her attorney.

The mental examination will determine whether there is clinical evidence to support the argument that Tonya Couch may be incompetent to stand trial.

Before she and her son fled to Mexico, she withdrew $30,000 from her account and told her husband that he would not see them again, an arrest affidavit stated.

 

[texasmom]

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Ethan-Couch-Moved-From-Juvenile-Center-to-Adult-Jail-367847071.html

Ethan Couch Moved From Juvenile Center to Adult Jail
Couch housing change doesn't affect juvenile status, Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson says
By Frank Heinz

Ethan Couch, the Texas teenager who used an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving crash, was moved Friday afternoon from a juvenile detention center to the Tarrant County Correction Center in Downtown Fort Worth.

Couch, 19, is currently being held for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, pending a hearing Feb. 19 to determine whether his case will be moved from juvenile court to adult court.

Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said during a news conference Friday afternoon that a juvenile court judge signed a revised order of detention that allowed for Couch's housing change.

Anderson said the sheriff's department was notified of the housing change once Couch was under way Friday afternoon and that he arrived at the downtown corrections center at about 1:30 p.m.

Couch is still under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and his case is still continuing under the original judge's order, Anderson said. The move to the adult jail doesn't change his juvenile standing.

A continuation hearing related to Friday's housing move will be held on Feb. 12, Anderson said.

Anderson added Couch is considered a high-profile inmate and is being held in a single cell, away from the general population, for his safety and not because he's considered a threat. Couch, Anderson said, has been soft-spoken, very respectful and has asked for no special treatment or accommodations.

 

Authorities believe Couch and his mother fled Texas in her pickup truck after an online video appeared to show Ethan Couch at a party where people were drinking. Couch had been sentenced to 10 years' probation in juvenile court for the 2013 drunken-driving crash, and the terms prohibit him from drinking or leaving Tarrant County, Texas.

If Couch's case is transferred to the adult system and if he violates his probation again, he could face up to 10 years in prison for each person killed in the 2013 crash, a total of 40 years.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/02/06/affluenza-teen-ethan-couch-jail-time-adult/79920884/

[Sister]

Thank you for the update, texasmom.

His mother needs to be put in general population!

[Green Eyes]

Thank you for the update, texasmom.

His mother needs to be put in general population!

You have that right Sister., instead of house arrest at her older sons. I call BS on the mental illness they are trying for.