Tonya Couch, Mother Of ‘Affluenza’ Teen, Indicted For Helping Son Flee The Country
Tonya Couch, the mother of “affluenza” teen Ethan Couch, has officially been indicted in Texas for aiding her son in jumping bail, leaving the country, and also laundering money. A grand jury indicted Tonya Couch on two charges related to fleeing the country with her son Ethan Couch. The indictments include a new charge of money laundering, related to cash she allegedly withdrew before the pair fled to Mexico. Tonya Couch had to post additional bond relating to the money laundering in order to stay out on house arrest.
According to the Inquisitr, Tonya Couch aided her son, Ethan Couch, who was on probation after killing several people in a drunk and drugged driving wreck, flee to Mexico after a video surfaced that showed him drinking alcohol underage and in violation of his probation. Since the pair were apprehended and returned to the States, Ethan Couch is in prison, and his mother, Tonya Couch, is on house arrest.
CBS News is reporting that the Ft. Worth district attorney has decided to up the charges on Tonya Couch, and add money laundering to the charges Couch is indicted on. Before, the charge against Couch was just hindering the apprehension of a felon, for which Couch was under house arrest awaiting trial.
Before Tonya Couch went on the run to Mexico with her son Ethan, she withdrew $30k in cash. The district attorney claims that Couch had taken the money out as part of criminal activity. As a result of going on the run to Mexico, both Tonya and Ethan Couch are in serious legal trouble.
Ethan Couch's mother indicted on charges of hindering apprehension, money laundering https://t.co/SIPPy0IRj2 via @upi
— Ci (@CitizensIntel) May 28, 2016
ABC News says that in court, Tonya Couch seemed surprised that the district attorney was adding to the charges she is now facing for helping her son run away from authorities. Court documents now detail the charges that Tonya Couch is facing.
“The defendant did harbor or conceal Ethan Couch, or provide or aid Ethan Couch with the means of avoiding arrest or effecting escape by financing and transporting Ethan Couch in his flight from the jurisdiction of the court and the state of Texas.”
Tonya Couch allegedly organized the flight for herself and her son from the country after she was made aware that Ethan Couch had been caught violating his probation and would likely be taken to jail. Part of the reason that Tonya and Ethan Couch got caught was because down in Mexico, they were ordering pizzas and Ethan Couch was drinking out at strip bars.
I always think this is Carrot Top ? Tonya Couch, mother of 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch, indicted https://t.co/U6Z352TjwB
— Blonde Badger (@thismfsmh) May 27, 2016
Time Magazine said that the amount of money that Tonya Couch spent trying to keep her son from paying for his crime seems ridiculous. But all of Tonya Couch’s efforts were for nothing, because Ethan Couch will now spend at least two years not in the juvenile jail that he would have gone to, but in adult prison.
It is reported that Tonya Couch spent over $150k to keep authorities from finding her son, Ethan Couch. The psychologist who coined the term “affluenza” said that the biggest problem with the Couch family is that they think that all problems can be solved with money.
“If you hurt someone, say you’re sorry. In that family, if you hurt someone, send some money.”
Today, the only member of the Couch family not currently under legal scrutiny is father Fred Couch, who has filed for divorce from Tonya Couch.
Do you think that Tonya Couch should have been charged with money laundering for taking son Ethan Couch on the run?
[Photo by Brandon Wade/AP Images]
