Mom of ‘affluenza’ teen agrees to return to Texas to face charge

Tonya Couch (left), mother of the Texas teenager derided for his “affluenza” defence in a deadly drunken-driving case, appears in court for her extradition hearing in Los Angeles, California, today.

The duo was eventually found by authorities and Tonya Couch flew back to the U.S. It is not yet clear when she will return to Texas.

Tonya Couch signed the extradition waiver and has been turned over to the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

The mother accused of helping her son flee to Mexico while he was on probation for killing four people in a drunk driving accident is being extradited from Los Angeles to Texas… They fled there after officials in Tarrant County, Texas, began an investigation into whether Ethan violated the probation deal that kept him out of prison after he killed four people with his pickup truck in 2013.

Couch is at a facility in Mexico City where illegal immigrants are held while their cases are processed.

Mark J. Terrill/AP Tonya Couch was flown to Los Angeles Dec. 31 after being detained in Mexico. She’ll ask for a reduction in her client’s million-dollar bond. At the time, many were outraged that a judge sentenced him to probation instead of jail time, slamming his now-notorious “affluenza” defense – that he was too rich and spoiled to understand the consequences of his actions.

“Laws are there to protect everybody, not just the people we like”, said Couch’s high-profile Mexican attorney, Fernando Benitez.

ABC News also says the Couches’ dog, which went with them to Mexico, is missing. During his 2013 trial on drunken-driving charges, a defense witness testified that Ethan was afflicted with “affluenza”, saying that his irresponsible behavior and lifestyle were a product of his affluent upbringing and “profoundly dysfunctional” parents. “While the public may not like what she did, may not agree with what she did, or may have strong feelings against what she did, make no mistake – Tonya did not violate any law of the State of Texas and she is eager to have her day in court”.

This Dec. 28, 2015 file photo, released by Mexico’s Jalisco state prosecutor’s office shows who authorities identify as Ethan Couch, after he was taken into custody in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The condition is not recognized as a medical diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association, and its invocation drew ridicule.