Fugitive “affluenza” teenager Ethan Couch has won a three-day stay against deportation, Mexican authorities told the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Couch and his mother, Tonya Couch, were arrested in Mexico on Monday after ordering a Domino’s Pizza delivery to a condominium in Puerto Vallarta. The arrest came 11 days after FBI agents and US marshals joined the hunt for the pair, who fled the US after Couch appeared to have violated the terms of his probation.
In 2013, Couch, from Keller, Texas, admitted killing four people in a drunk-driving accident. At the time, his lawyers said that he suffered from “affluenza” and that because of his privileged upbringing, Couch was unable to tell right from wrong and did not fully understand the consequences of his actions.
Affluenza is not an officially recognised condition, but instead of the recommended 20 years in prison the then 16-year-old was sentenced to rehab and 10 years’ probation.
Under the terms of the probation, Couch was not allowed to drive, drink alcohol or use drugs for 10 years. Early in December, a six-second video appeared on social media alleging that Couch had violated his probation by attending a party where alcohol was served. The authorities have yet to determine that Couch is the man in the video. However, after the video surfaced, Couch’s probation officer lost touch with the teen.
“Is anyone surprised the Couch duo are putting up legal fight to not return and face justice? Not me. Will it never end?” Dee Anderson, the Tarrant County sheriff, tweeted on Wednesday morning . Anderson has previously said that Couch did not receive an adequate punishment for his 2013 crime.
The sheriff’s office, which was making arrangements to receive both Couch and his mother, has been told to “stand down until further notice”, Anderson told the Dallas Morning News .
Couch and his mother were expected to be turned over to Texas authorities on Wednesday, according to Ricardo Vera , a local official for Mexico’s migration institute.
Couch and his mother had planned their flight from the US and even held a farewell party, Anderson said during a press conference on Tuesday. At the time, he announced that an arrest warrant had been issued for Tonya Couch, for hindering the arrest of her son. She could face between two and 10 years in jail.
The district attorney has requested that upon his return from Mexico, Couch be transferred into adult court. Since the original crime took place when he was 16, his case is still in the juvenile court. If the case remains there and Couch is found guilty of violating his probation, he is likely to be sent to juvenile facility until his 19th birthday in early April and then be released on parole.
During the Tuesday press conference, a reporter asked Tarrant County district attorney Sharen Wilson if it would be possible for Couch to delay returning to the US until after his 19th birthday. Wilson dismissed the question. – Guardian service