‘Affluenza’ teen, mom planned flight to Mexico, official says

Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas

A teen fugitive who’s known for using an “affluenza” defense and his mother attempted to disguise themselves and disappear among the American tourists thronging a Mexican resort city for the holidays, but now are in custody and will be returned to the U.S. after a cellphone used to order pizza gave away their location, authorities said Tuesday.

Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said 18-year-old Ethan Couch – who was on juvenile probation after killing four people in a drunken-driving wreck – and his mother had prepared to be gone a while, even dyeing Couch’s blond hair black, before being detained Monday in the Pacific Coast city of Puerto Vallarta.

“They had planned to disappear. They even had something that was almost akin to a going-away party before leaving town,” Anderson said. He would not give details about the event, including how many people attended.

During the sentencing phase of Couch’s trial, a defense expert argued that his wealthy parents coddled him into a sense of irresponsibility – a condition the expert termed “affluenza.” The condition is not recognized as a medical diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association, and its invocation drew ridicule.

Couch disappeared as authorities investigated whether he had violated the terms of his probation.

Anderson said Couch and his mother, Tonya Couch, apparently crossed the border in her pickup and drove to Puerto Vallarta. It was not clear whether they had any accomplices.

No immediate charges were planned for others who may have known about or assisted with the flight plan, Anderson said. He said authorities have no evidence that Ethan Couch’s father, who owns a sheet-metal factory in North Texas, was involved.

Jalisco state prosecutor Eduardo Almaguer Ramirez said U.S. authorities knew the mother and son were in Puerto Vallarta because of a phone call to Domino’s Pizza.

A U.S. Marshals Service agent tipped authorities in Mexico to the location of the phone Monday, according to a police report issued by the Jalisco state prosecutors’ office. The phone had been used to order pizza for a room at a condominium complex in the beach resort city.

When agents went to the condo, the Couches had already moved on, but a tourism operator pointed agents to the mother and son’s new home at an apartment in Puerto Vallarta’s old town.