‘Affluenza’ Teen Ethan Couch’s Mother Tonya Arraigned in Texas

She will be arraigned on Friday on a charge of hindering the apprehension of a felon – her son, Ethan Couch.

The court on Monday is expected to consider a motion by her lawyers to reduce the $1 million bond that she is being held on.

Judge Salvant told Couch that if she does make bond, she will have many restrictions, including a Global Positioning System monitor.

Couch, 48, is charged with hindering apprehension of a fugitive, after authorities say she fled to Mexico with the so-called “affluenza” teenager while he was on probation for killing four people in a drunken driving crash in 2013. The case drew renewed rancor when the mother and son fled to Mexico after a video surfaced that appeared to show Ethan Couch, fresh from a rehabilitation center, at a party where people were drinking.

Tonya Couch was extradited to Texas and is now being held in a Texas jail cell while her son remains in Mexico. Couch said that the temporary passport she had was confiscated when she was transported to California.

Anderson said Couch told him that she couldn’t sleep well because the jail lights were too bright and other inmates were watching her. Couch appeared miserable as she answered the judge’s questions about the whereabouts of her passport. Tonya Couch said she hadn’t eaten since Wednesday, so Anderson made sure she got a sack lunch. Her arraignment scheduled for this morning. She has not yet entered a plea.

Sheriff Anderson, who accompanied deputies as they took her from the airport to jail Thursday, described the mother as “cooperative, polite (and) appreciative of the way she’d been treated so far”.

The recommended bail bond amount on a third-degree felony is $2,500, according to the Tarrant County Bond Schedule. “And I’ve said over and over, we’re patient, we’ll wait, we’ll be here”. She faces a maximum of 10 years prison.

Breitbart Texas reported that high-profile Mexican lawyer Fernando Benítez is fighting the teen’s extradition back to the U.S. Benítez filed a petition claiming Couch’s constitutional and civil rights may have been violated, highlighting that the teen’s U.S. crimes should have no bearing on Mexican officials or Mexican courts.