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'Affluenza' teen's mom returned to Texas to face charge

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - The mother of a fugitive teen who used an "affluenza" defense after killing four people in a drunken crash was returned to Texas on Thursday to face a charge of helping her son evade capture.

Tonya Couch, who was deported from Mexico last week, arrived on a flight from Los Angeles and was taken to Tarrant County jail in handcuffs and leg irons. She is expected to be arraigned Friday on a charge of hindering the apprehension of a felon. Her bond was set at $1 million.

Authorities believe Couch and her 18-year-old son, Ethan Couch, fled Texas in November as prosecutors investigated whether Ethan Couch had violated his probation in the deadly 2013 drunken-driving wreck. They disappeared shortly after a video surfaced showing what appears to be Ethan Couch at a party where people were drinking.

Ethan Couch is being held at an immigration detention center in Mexico City after winning a court reprieve that could lead to a weeks- or even months-long legal process in Mexico.

Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said Tonya Couch was "cooperative" and respectful as she was being taken into jail. As for Ethan, he said, "it's not a question of if he's coming back, it's a question of when he's coming back."

"We're not concerned at this point," Anderson told reporters.

Tonya Couch's attorneys released a statement last week saying she has done nothing illegal.

"While the public may not like what she did, may not agree with what she did, or may have strong feelings against what she did, make no mistake - Tonya did not violate any law of the State of Texas and she is eager to have her day in court," lawyers Stephanie K. Patten and Steve Gordon said.

After the crash, Ethan Couch pleaded guilty in juvenile court to four counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault causing serious bodily injury and was sentenced to 10 years' probation.

He received only probation after a defense expert argued that Couch had been coddled too much by his wealthy parents, a condition the expert called "affluenza." The condition is not recognized as a medical diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association, and its invocation drew widespread ridicule.

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Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Dallas contributed to this report.

Tonya Couch is escorted to a waiting vehicle after her arrival to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. Couch, mother of a fugitive teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a deadly drunken-driving case, waived extradition and was sent to Texas from California to face a charge of hindering the apprehension of a felon. (AP Photo/LM Otero) The Associated Press
A vehicle exits the compound of the Agujas immigration detention center, where U.S. fugitive Ethan Couch is being detained in Mexico City, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. The Texas teen known for using an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving accident is being held at a Mexico City immigration detention center. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) The Associated Press
FILE - This Dec. 28, 2015 file photo, released by Mexico's Jalisco state prosecutor's office shows who authorities identify as Ethan Couch, after he was taken into custody in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The Mexican lawyer for the Texas teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving accident said Monday, Jan. 4, 2016 that his appeal against deportation could delay his client's return to the United States for weeks, perhaps months - or just a single day. (Mexico's Jalisco state prosecutor's office via AP, File) The Associated Press
Tonya Couch, center right, is escorted off a flight after her arrival to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. Couch, mother of a fugitive teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a deadly drunken-driving case, waived extradition and was sent to Texas from California to face a charge of hindering the apprehension of a felon. (AP Photo/LM Otero) The Associated Press
Tonya Couch is escorted to a waiting vehicle after her arrival to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. Couch, mother of a fugitive teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a deadly drunken-driving case, waived extradition and was sent to Texas from California to face a charge of hindering the apprehension of a felon. (AP Photo/LM Otero) The Associated Press
Tonya Couch is escorted to a waiting vehicle after her arrival to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. Couch, mother of a fugitive teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a deadly drunken-driving case, waived extradition and was sent to Texas from California to face a charge of hindering the apprehension of a felon. (AP Photo/LM Otero) The Associated Press
Tonya Couch, center, is escorted off a flight after her arrival to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. Couch, mother of a fugitive teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a deadly drunken-driving case, waived extradition and was sent to Texas from California to face a charge of hindering the apprehension of a felon. (AP Photo/LM Otero) The Associated Press
Tonya Couch, center right, is escorted off a flight after her arrival to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. Couch, mother of a fugitive teenager known for using an "affluenza" defense in a deadly drunken-driving case, waived extradition and was sent to Texas from California to face a charge of hindering the apprehension of a felon. (AP Photo/LM Otero) The Associated Press
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