WATCH: ‘Affluenza’ Mother Tonya Couch Returns to U.S., Taken Into Custody
The mother of “affluenza” teenager Ethan Couch has returned to the U.S. this morning, after being deported from Mexico after being captured by authorities.
Tonya Couch was flown to Los Angeles International Airport, where she was filmed in handcuffs as U.S. Marshals guided her to an unmarked car at the end of the terminal. Texas prosecutors have said that Couch will be charged for assisting her son’s flight from authorities, and CNN reports that she could face between 2 and 10 years in prison.
Couch’s son has been a subject of infamy ever since he killed four people in a drunken car crash two years ago, and he got off with an easy sentence after his legal defense argued that he was too spoiled to know what he did was wrong. Both Ethan and his mother have been the subjects of a manhunt ever since the son was filmed drinking and violating his probation. They were arrested in Mexico earlier this week.
In spite of this, the Couches have resisted extradition to the U.S. by filing paperwork so that they would not be deported back to Texas. Ethan Couch was granted a three-day court injunction to stay in Mexico, and though this development might require another two weeks to resolve, Fox reported that Couch was moved to a detainment facility.
Watch above, via CNN.
UPDATE: 9:48 A.M. EST WFAA reported that Mrs. Couch has been booked into the Los Angeles County Jail and is facing formal charges for hindering apprehension. Her bond has been set for $1 million.
[Image via screengrab]
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