FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 9 (UPI) — Tonya Couch, mother of “affluenza” teen Ethan Couch, withdrew $30,000 and warned her husband her son was never coming back before fleeing to Mexico, a newly released court document reveals.
Couch, 48, was briefly arraigned before Tarrant County Judge Wayne Salvant Friday to confirm her understanding of the third-degree felony charge against her. Judge Salvant reportedly concluded Couch be held on $1 million bond until a bond reduction hearing Monday.
If the bond is paid, Couch will be reportedly required to adhere to strict limitations including wearing a GPS monitor.
In an arrest warrant affidavit issued Dec. 31 and released Friday, Couch was ordered to be detained for “hindering apprehension” of her son, who in early December violated probation and prompted an international search.
Investigators learned Tonya Couch and Ethan Couch fled to Mexico and were subsequently arrested by local authorities in a Puerto Vallarta condo on Dec. 28. The affidavit reveals Tonya was operating a computer at the time of her arrest.
The court document reveals Couch withdrew a total of $30,000 from her personal account on Dec. 3 and warned her husband, Fred Couch, over the phone about her plans to flee to Mexico, saying he “would never see [Ethan] again.”
Since the interview with authorities, Fred Couch has reportedly filed for divorce.
In 2013, a 16-year-old Ethan Couch killed four people in a drunk driving accident. He was sentenced to 10 years of probation after defense attorneys said he was the victim of “affluenza,” as a result of being spoiled by wealthy parents and not facing consequences for his actions growing up.
Ethan Couch, now 18, remains in a migrant detention center near Mexico City and has reportedly filed motions to fight extradition to the United States.
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