Ethan Couch And Mother Caught In Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
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PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - According to Mexican authorities, "Affluenza" teen Ethan Couch has been caught near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico along with his mother Tonya Couch.
He disappeared earlier this month after missing a meeting with his probation officer. When authorities went to his house, no one was home.
The two were detained Monday in Puerto Vallarta around 6:00 p.m. and handed over to the authorities of the National Institute of Migration after they were unable to prove their legal stay in Mexico.
Couch is expected to be turned over to U.S. Marshals who have been searching for him.
CBS11 has been in touch with Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson who says he's waiting for official confirmation from the U.S. Marshals.
Sheriff Anderson has said he believes the two fled in late November after a video surfaced that appears to show Couch at a party where people were drinking. If found to be drinking, Couch's probation could be revoked and he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
In June 2013 at age 16, Ethan Couch was driving drunk and speeding on a dark two-lane road south of Fort Worth when he crashed into a disabled SUV off to the side, killing four people and injuring several others, including passengers in Couch's pickup truck.
Couch pleaded guilty to four counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault causing serious bodily injury. Because of his age, he wasn't certified as an adult for trial and a judge sentenced him in juvenile court to 10 years' probation and a stint in a rehabilitation center.
During the sentencing phase of his trial, Couch's attorneys relied on a defense expert who argued that Couch's 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 widespread ridicule.
A spokesman for the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department has declined to say whether Tonya Couch is facing any charges.
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