'Affluenza' teen's mom set for extradition hearing

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The mother of a fugitive 18-year-old known for using an "affluenza" defense in a drunken-driving case was expected to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom for an extradition hearing today.

Prosecutors were expected to ask that Tonya Couch, 38, be extradited to Texas. Couch was deported from Mexico and flown to Los Angeles early Thursday morning.

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

Ethan Couch is being held at a detention facility in Mexico City after winning a court reprieve that could lead to a weeks- or even months-long legal process in Mexico, a Mexican immigration official told The Associated Press on Thursday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he or she was not authorized to be quoted by name.

In Texas, prosecutors charged Tonya Couch with hindering apprehension of a felon. Her bond there was set at $1 million.

Her attorneys released a statement saying she had done nothing illegal and wanted to get back to Texas as soon as possible.