Affluenza Teen's Mom In Jail: 5 Things You Need to Know

LOS ANGELES, CA - Tonya Couch, the mother of “affluenza” teen Ethan Couch, appeared in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Tuesday for an extradition hearing and agreed to be sent from California to Tarrant County Texas, where she’s been charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon, her son.

The mother had been in custody in Los Angeles since her deportation from Mexico on Thursday.

The case of Ethan Couch, who was convicted of killing four people while driving drunk in 2013, focused attention on the justice system and its treatment of the wealthy when he was sentenced to probation rather than the jail time requested by prosecutors.

The case popularized the term “affluenza” after a psychologist hired by the Couch family testified that — having been raised a rich kid — the teen never learned that actions came with consequences.

After the psychologist, G. Dick Miller, used the term “affluenza,” outrage at the Couch family only grew.

Here are five things to know about the Couch family’s latest run-in with the law:

1) What was the extradition hearing about?

When most people hear the word extradition, they think about a criminal held up in a foreign country.

Think Edward Snowden, Julian Assange or Roman Polanski.

But the term also applies between states. Tonya Couch was deported to Los Angeles, so officials from California had to arrest her. That’s because Texas officials are not allowed to make arrests on land in California.

What made the situation tricky is that she is charged in Texas. So, in order to face her charge, she needed to be turned over to Texas officials. That sometimes can lead to lengthy court hearings.

On Tuesday, Couch agreed to be extradited to Texas.

2) What type of punishment is she facing?

Couch is to be extradited to Fort Worth, where she will face charges for hindering the apprehension of a felon. If convicted, Couch could face up to 10 years in jail, reported CNN.

3) Why were Ethan and Tonya Couch arrested in Mexico?

When Ethan Couch was sentenced to probation in 2013, the court set boundaries his parents wouldn’t.

No driving, no alcohol and no drugs.

In December, a video surfaced that allegedly showed Ethan Couch at a party where alcohol was present. Couch missed a required check-in with Texas authorities later that month and was declared a fugitive on the run. Tonya Couch, Ethan’s mother, was helping him escape capture.

4) When and where

After Ethan Couch was declared a fugitive, his mother helped him escape capture by fleeing to Mexico. Couch and her son were arrested in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Dec. 28.

One key detail in the arrest? A pizza order.

A phone owned by the Couch family was used to order Dominos, which aided officials in tracking the fugitives down, reported the Washington Post.

5) What’s next for Ethan Couch?

Ethan Couch is currently being held in an immigration facility in Mexico City awaiting deportation. But that may take a while.

Couch has been granted a stay in his deportation case while the legal process in Mexico runs its course, according to his Texas attorneys.