GUILTY TX - Ethan Couch 'Affluenza Teen' DUI driver who killed four gets probation, 2013 #2

[jjenny]

OK maybe not a murderer, but two out of three ain't bad... or is it? I don't think letting her out is a great idea either. But I doubt she'll be out long, she doesn't seem able to follow rules, or play nicely with others.

In that case they would just let her out again. Kind seems obvious to me not to give low bail to a woman who run away to another country with a fugitive. But it doesn't seem obvious to a judge.

 

[faw720]

Rather she claims she has no passport because it was lost.

Yeah, she claims she has no passport & no money. Just about an hour after making those claims she posted $7,500.00 bond. I guess her fairy godmother just came to her rescue with a little money.:tantrum:

 

[faw720]

DM article about missing dog Virgil:

EXCLUSIVE: Dog belonging to 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch is MISSING in Mexico -$1,000 reward offered to find Virgil the Saarloos Wolf-dog

Ethan Couch and his mother Tonya fled Fort Worth in early December along with $30,000, two handguns and their dog Virgil

The Saarloos Wolfdog is now missing on the streets of Puerto Vallarta

Virgil hasn't been seen since the mother and son were arrested in Mexico on December 28

In a note posted in Spanish on the Puerto Vallarta SPCA Facebook page, a relative said the dog went missing near Calle Colombia

That is the road where Ethan and Tonya Couch were living when they were arrested - now fears are growing about what has happened to it

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ed-Virgil-Saarloos-Wolfdog.html#ixzz3x27ga2N9

This is an interesting read on this breed of dog. They apparently are really into running in packs. Maybe he ran off into the mountains & found himself some nice buddies to run with. IMO, that would be better than living with the Couches.

 

[RickshawFan]

TC has kinda backed herself into a corner with that hairdo of hers....no way she could flee with that carrot mop and bad perm. She's already been ridiculous enough to imagine that the current do would be an effective disguise. :floorlaugh:

And if she has a re-do, there's still not going to be a good way to hide the carrot mop. What's she gonna do?

 

[TexMex]

Rather she claims she has no passport because it was lost.

She and her drunken son had to present passports to enter Mexico. Their property was seized upon their arrests. If it was in her vehicle/luggage then the Mexican police had it. If not, it's lost in Mexico and she has no access to it.

 

[faw720]

DM article - photo of TC's son:

'Affluenza' teen's mom posts bond and is set to be released after his older brother told court her bank balance is 'negative $99billion' to get bail reduced

Steven McWilliams, 26, the half-brother of 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch, insisted his mom Tonya Couch is broke during a court hearing

Her attorneys asked for her bail to be dropped from $1million to $15,000

However after testimony the judge ruled that it would be $75,000

She has paid the bond and Couch will be released Tuesday after she's fitted with an electronic ankle monitor

Ethan had killed four people while drunk behind the wheel of his car in 2010 and was sentenced to 10 years probation

He fled with his mom to Mexico after video surfaced of him at a boozy party which would have been in violation of his probation

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...99billion-bid-bail-reduced.html#ixzz3x26Oj4vv

I find it interesting that her oldest son came to her rescue, not her daughter. From what I saw on the 20/20 interview, the daughter's facial expressions revealed that she didn't have much faith in her mom. What is the deal with TC & her sons?

 

[pappa rob]

TC has kinda backed herself into a corner with that hairdo of hers....no way she could flee with that carrot mop and bad perm. She's already been ridiculous enough to imagine that the current do would be an effective disguise. :floorlaugh:

And if she has a re-do, there's still not going to be a good way to hide the carrot mop. What's she gonna do?

Even changing the hair isn't going to help. You'll have to admit her looks are rather distinctive, to put it nicely.

 

[nrdsb4]

This may be a stupid question:

Whenever I use my passport, they scan the bar code, I guess to see if I'm on some kind of no fly list or something. Can't information be put into the system which would flag her passport in the event she tried to use it?

I don't see why she would flee to Mexico. She wouldn't be able to do anything for EC, and he's eventually going to either be deported or extradited back here anyway.

 

[TexMex]

In that case they would just let her out again. Kind seems obvious to me not to give low bail to a woman who run away to another country with a fugitive. But it doesn't seem obvious to a judge.

The thing is, legally her son was not a fugitive when they left. He was supposed to report to his probation officer. He did not but IIRC there had been no formal revocation of probation motion filed IMO she's going to claim she and her son left on a "vacation" with some cash and the gun they had was for "protection" while traveling by car in Mexico.
As for telling the husband he'd never see the son again? She's probably told him that a hundred times before during the two divorce filings.

 

[JeannaT]

The thing is, legally her son was not a fugitive when they left. He was supposed to report to his probation officer. He did not but IIRC there had been no formal revocation of probation motion filed IMO she's going to claim she and her son left on a "vacation" with some cash and the gun they had was for "protection" while traveling by car in Mexico.
As for telling the husband he'd never see the son again? She's probably told him that a hundred times before during the two divorce filings.

I don't know exactly what evidence they have that she was purposely hiding him to avoid criminal prosecution. Seems she could easily say her husband filed for divorce, she freaked and wanted to get as far away as possible and sort things out in her head, and took her son as a comfort as well as their wolf. I think it's going to be a little tricky to legally pin charges on her.

And to those who think she has a bad perm - that's her hair, IMHO. That's what happens in jail - you don't have hair products and blow driers to use, so if you have very thick curly hair that's what it looks like.

 

[JeannaT]

I find it interesting that her oldest son came to her rescue, not her daughter. From what I saw on the 20/20 interview, the daughter's facial expressions revealed that she didn't have much faith in her mom. What is the deal with TC & her sons?

Maybe her daughter's not in a position to provide a very stable-appearing household? A married man with little kids at home looks VERY stable - maybe her daughter is single and works all day and lives in an apartment where she's seldom there?

 

[KaaBoom]

This may be a stupid question:

Whenever I use my passport, they scan the bar code, I guess to see if I'm on some kind of no fly list or something. Can't information be put into the system which would flag her passport in the event she tried to use it?

That would only stop her from flying out of the country on a commercial airline, dependent on minimum wage airline employees to make sure she doesn’t leave. It would not prevent her from driving out of the country. Anyway the no fly list has been proven to be ineffective at best.

Australia fines United Airlines $10,000 after they flew anti-abortionist Troy Newman into the country despite his visa being cancelled

I don't see why she would flee to Mexico. She wouldn't be able to do anything for EC, and he's eventually going to either be deported or extradited back here anyway.

That remains to be seen.

 

[Irisha]

I don't know exactly what evidence they have that she was purposely hiding him to avoid criminal prosecution. Seems she could easily say her husband filed for divorce, she freaked and wanted to get as far away as possible and sort things out in her head, and took her son as a comfort as well as their wolf. I think it's going to be a little tricky to legally pin charges on her.

And to those who think she has a bad perm - that's her hair, IMHO. That's what happens in jail - you don't have hair products and blow driers to use, so if you have very thick curly hair that's what it looks like.

Why did sonny boy change his hair color and beard? They were on the run, why else would they stay in a run down place on vaca. Tonya can lie all she wants, it will never make it the truth, they were running from the video's of Ethan partying.:moo:

 

[JeannaT]

Why did sonny boy change his hair color and beard? They were on the run, why else would they stay in a run down place on vaca. Tonya can lie all she wants, it will never make it the truth, they were running from the video's of Ethan partying.:moo:

Well, we all know they were on the run. But something you "know" doesn't always hold up in court. She's got good legal counsel - despite the fact that she can't negotiate Dallas traffic - and it doesn't seem like it would be all that hard to create reasonable doubt.

 

[KaaBoom]

She and her drunken son had to present passports to enter Mexico.

They did not need to present a passport to enter Mexico. No US citizen needs to present a passport to enter Mexico.

 

[KaaBoom]

Yeah, she claims she has no passport & no money. Just about an hour after making those claims she posted $7,500.00 bond. I guess her fairy godmother just came to her rescue with a little money.:tantrum:

According to reports, she had at least $30,000 in her bank account. So the $7,500 bond was a drop in the bucket to her. Her daily withdrawal limit is $30,000. That should tell you how much money she has has. How many people have a $30,000 withdrawal limit on their bank account?

 

[jkly]

Well, we all know they were on the run. But something you "know" doesn't always hold up in court. She's got good legal counsel - despite the fact that she can't negotiate Dallas traffic - and it doesn't seem like it would be all that hard to create reasonable doubt.

I just don't see the reasonable in that sort of doubt. There's a lot of circumstantial evidence against her as well, including the fact that she threw a going away party and the fact that they disappeared right after the that video of Ethan possibly drinking and violating his probation surfaced. That's a lot of suspicious coincidences. The sum of all their actions leading up to this (including both of them dying their hair) points to them fleeing.

It seems people are afraid to convict on circumstantial evidence anymore.

That's the problem with our justice system these days, the courts are afraid to use good old common sense to come to any sort of conclusion. It's really a shame for the victims of idiots like this who never learn.

 

[Spellbound]

For those who may not have seen this or need a refresher on the family dynamics, this is a quite detailed history of the family before this latest incident of fleeing to Mexico. I know it has been posted already, but for a reminder, I am posting the link here.

The Worst Parents Ever:

http://www.dmagazine.com/publicatio...a-the-worst-parents-ever-ethan-couch?single=1

 

[Everyday Grace]

Fort Worth Star Telegram on some of yesterday's testimony:

More details emerged during the bond hearing about the trip to Mexico. An investigator for the district attorney’s office testified that the Couches got together with friends and others before they left for a “planning meeting.”

Investigator Darren Gabbert testified that he was told about the meeting by Ethan Couch’s friend, Garrett Ballard.

Ballard, who was in Ethan Couch’s pickup the night of the deadly crash in 2013, told Gabbert that he was at the meeting, and that the group discussed where the Couches would go, how they would get there and how much money they would need.

http://www.readingeagle.com/ap/arti...ed-from-1-million-to-75000&template=mobileart

I don't think the state is going to have any difficulty proving beyond a reasonable doubt that she acted with intent to hinder the punishment of her son for a probation violation.

TEX PE. CODE ANN. § 38.05 : Texas Statutes - Section 38.05: HINDERING APPREHENSION OR PROSECUTION

(a) A person commits an offense if, with intent to hinder the arrest, prosecution, conviction, or punishment of another for an offense....

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/txstatutes/PE/8/38/38.05#sthash.3rr2McJg.dpuf

DA's investigator also testified yesterday as to the following per @CBS11JasonAllen:

Investigator in Ethan/Tonya Couch case says one of Ethan's friends had Ethan's DL and credit card. And friend had no ID anymore

Sounds to me like the DA's office has ample evidence of what took place at the meeting and intent. MOO.

 

[Irisha]

Well, we all know they were on the run. But something you "know" doesn't always hold up in court. She's got good legal counsel - despite the fact that she can't negotiate Dallas traffic - and it doesn't seem like it would be all that hard to create reasonable doubt.

I choose to put my faith in the Prosecution case that they can prove Tonya aided and abetted Ethan financially(sp?) physically, willfully to flee.:jail::moo: