The Latest: Mom of 'affluenza' teen to be in Texas this week

The Latest: Mom of 'affluenza' teen to be in Texas this week


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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The latest on the case of a Texas teenager serving probation for killing four people in a drunken-driving wreck after invoking an "affluenza" defense (all times local):

2:30 p.m.

Authorities say the mother of a fugitive teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a deadly drunken-driving case will return to Texas before Friday.

Tarrant County, Texas, Sheriff Dee Anderson said Tuesday that he will dispatch deputies to California to bring back Tonya Couch after some "administrative matters" are cleared up. She's charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon and will be held on a $1 million bond.

Couch was flown to Los Angeles last week after being deported from Mexico. She appeared for an extradition hearing in Los Angeles and agreed to be sent back to Texas.

Couch and her 18-year-old son, Ethan, were arrested last week in Mexico, where authorities believe the pair fled in November as Texas prosecutors investigated whether he had violated his probation.

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9:35 a.m.

The mother of a fugitive teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a deadly drunken-driving case has agreed to be sent from California to Texas to face a charge.

Tonya Couch appeared Tuesday for an extradition hearing in Los Angeles, where she was flown last week after being deported from Mexico. It's unclear when she will be sent to Texas, where she's charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon.

Couch and her 18-year-old son, Ethan, were apprehended last week in Mexico, where authorities believe the pair fled in November as Texas prosecutors investigated whether he had violated his probation in a car crash that killed four people.

Her attorneys have said that Couch wanted to return to Texas as soon as possible to have her day in court, saying she violated no laws.

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1 a.m.

The mother of a fugitive 18-year-old known for using an "affluenza" defense in a drunken-driving case is expected to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom.

Tonya Couch is expected to appear for an extradition hearing in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. Prosecutors are planning to ask that she be extradited to Texas.

The 48-year-old Couch was deported from Mexico and was flown to Los Angeles early Thursday morning.

Her attorneys say in a statement that Couch looks forward to returning to Texas as soon as possible to have her day in court.

The statement says that while the public may not like or agree with what Couch did, she never violated Texas law when she and her son went to Mexico.

Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson has said he believes Couch and his mother fled to Mexico in late November after a video surfaced that appears to show Couch at a party where people were drinking, which would be a violation of his probation.

Her son, Ethan, is being held in an immigration facility in Mexico City.

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This item has been corrected to show that Tonya Couch is 48, not 38.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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