Tonya Couch posts bond; to be released Tuesday

The non-profit Mothers Against Drunk Driving launched a petition Monday to have “affluenza” teen Ethan Couch tried as an adult for a fatal DUI crash that claimed four lives in 2013. Stephanie Patten, a lawyer representing Tonya, said, “In this county, people accused of the most violent offenses don’t get their bonds set at $1 million”.

She has been ordered to reside with another son, Stephen McWilliams, and must submit to electronic monitoring, weekly check-ins with a probation officer, and drug testing.

Couch was on probation for killing four people back in 2013 in a drunk driving accident. Couch was well-known for receiving what was perceived by many as a light sentence with no jail time and ten years probation, including conditions, such as not drinking alcohol, after a criminal psychologist diagnosed him with “affluenza;” a made-up word that describes a condition that is not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. Judge Wayne Salvant issues his ruling at Tonya Couch’s bond reduction hearing Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in court in Fort Worth, Texas.

Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Kevin Rousseau, speaking about keeping the bail at $1 million, said, “She has shown she is willing to violate his probation and is willing to do so in a big way”, as reported by Yahoo News. Authorities in Tarrant County consider her to be a flight risk.

If Tonya Couch is able to make bond, she will have numerous conditions the judge said.

Despite all of the previous testimony about the teen’s wealthy upbringing, his mother’s attorneys have argued that she had few assets to her own name and couldn’t pay the cost of a $1 million bond. That, despite the still unaccounted for $30,000 she withdrew from the bank before heading to Puerto Vallarta, she has no access to cash.

Ethan Couch remains in Mexico, fighting deportation to the United States.

He said that his mother’s bank account, which contains about $100,000, has been frozen by authorities.

The prosecutor noted that Tonya Couch is married to a millionaire, though she is separated and going through a divorce.

Investigator Darren Gabbert testified that he was told about the meeting by Ethan Couch’s friend Garrett Ballard.

A Texas magistrate on Friday signed an order to examine Tonya Couch for “mental illness and mental retardation”.