INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Will ‘Affluenza Teen’s’ Mom Be Charged Now That Her Son Has Been Detained In Mexico? [Developing Story]

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 01:30 PST, Dec 29, 2015

“Affluenza teen” Ethan Couch and his mother, Tonya Couch, have been detained and arrested in Mexico with altered appearances. Ethan Couch will most certainly face prison time since he was on probation for the vehicular manslaughter of four people. He is also responsible for the injuries of several more while on drugs and intoxicated. But the question now is will his mother, Tonya Couch, face jail or prison time for aiding and abetting her son?

According to the Inquisitr, the sheriff of Tarrant County, where Couch was convicted, was confident that Ethan Couch and his mother Tonya would be caught in a timely fashion. Twenty-four hours after the statement from Texas Sheriff Dee Anderson, the Couches were arrested in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Tarrant County is ready to get the Couches back to deal with them swiftly.

The New York Daily News is reporting that both Ethan and Tonya Couch, their appearances altered, have been arrested in Mexico. Immigration sources are saying that neither Ethan nor Tonya was able to prove their citizenship and will be returned promptly to Texas.

“Ethan and Tonya Couch were unable to prove their citizenship to immigration officials and will soon be returned to the United States.”

At first glance, authorities say that both had changed their appearance and did not look like their wanted image.

“During his flight, Couch dyed his blonde facial hair to disguise his appearance. The teen’s mother appeared to have shorter hair in another photo released by authorities.”

The change in appearance will remove their alleged intention to say they didn’t know anyone was looking for them.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is also positing that both Ethan and Tonya Couch will be charged and likely jailed. The Tarrant County Fugitive Unit started searching for the Couches on December 16 and have now confirmed to the press that they have been rounded up. They believe that the next strategy will be that the court treated affluenza teen Ethan Couch too liberally, which is what caused him to go on the run. The judge essentially continued the trend of not punishing him, according to District Attorney of Tarrant County, Richard Alpert.

“There can be no doubt that he will be in another courthouse one day blaming the lenient treatment he received here,” Alpert said.

Dee Anderson, the sheriff of Tarrant County, says that Ethan Couch was underage at the time of the crash, had Valium in his system (he did not have a prescription), and three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

“About 11:45 p.m. on June 15, 2013, Couch was speeding down Burleson-Retta Road in southern Tarrant County in a F-350 pickup with seven teenage passengers when he veered off the road, clipped an SUV and smashed into its driver and three other people. Couch had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit and had traces of Valium in his system, according to court testimony.”

Four people were killed and 12 others were seriously injured in the crash. Ethan Couch and his parents remained unrepentant even after the verdict. Ethan Couch now faces 10 years in prison, and it is unclear what sentence Tonya Couch might face.

Do you think that Tonya Couch will do time for taking her son on the run to Mexico?

[Photo courtesy of LM Otero/AP]

Share this article: Will ‘Affluenza Teen’s’ Mom Be Charged Now That Her Son Has Been Detained In Mexico? [Developing Story]
More from Inquisitr