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FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Lawyers for Ethan Couch say the 18-year-old is dropping his fight against being sent home to Texas from Mexico.
Authorities allege that Couch and his mother fled to Mexico in December as prosecutors in Texas looked into whether he violated his probation stemming from a drunken-driving accident that killed four people.
The two were caught last month in Mexico, and Couch's mother was quickly deported. But the 18-year-old won a delay, based on a constitutional appeal that normally leads to a lengthy trial process.
Today, his lawyer in Texas said documents have been filed to lift the objections to Couch's return to the United States, but he didn't say how long the process would take. Officials in Mexico say they haven't seen anything indicating that Couch has agreed to drop his deportation fight.
The Texas lawyer, Scott Brown, also said he's looking into whether Couch went to Mexico voluntarily, or was taken there against his will.
Lawyers for Couch's mother, who is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon, aren't commenting.
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APPHOTO TXKJ102: FILE - This Dec. 28, 2015 file photo, released by Mexico's Jalisco state prosecutor's office shows who authorities identify as Ethan Couch, after he was taken into custody in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Lawyers in the U.S. for Couch, known for using an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck said Tuesday Jan. 19, 2016, that the 18-year-old is dropping his deportation fight in Mexico as they investigate whether he willingly fled the country. (Mexico's Jalisco state prosecutor's office via AP, File) (19 Jan 2016)
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