'Affluenza' Mom Out of Jail After Judge Reduced $1 Million Bond

• comments
• 
• 

After being jailed very recently, Tonya Couch, the mom of the infamous “Affluenza” teen Ethan Couch, is now out on bond.

Tonya was freed Tuesday from the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, shortly after a judge sharply lowered her $1 million bond to $75,000, the Associated Press reported.

Although she has been released from prison, Tonya is required to wear an electronic GPS monitor on her ankle. She is also required to stay in the home of 29-year-old Steven McWilliams, another son, and must only come out for appointments with her doctor and lawyer.

Tonya is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison.

Tonya was put in jail after she and Ethan were arrested in the resort city of Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, after weeks of searching. They were located after authorities were tipped following a call for pizza delivery. The mother was deported back to Tarrant County, Texas, while the son was left in an immigration detention center.

Back in 2013, Ethan was speedily drunk driving and got involved in a car crash that killed four people and injured others. During his trial in court, a defense witness said he was coddled into a sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents, a condition the expert referred to as "affluenza."

This, of course, is a condition not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. It became his moniker ever since.

Instead of serving jail time, he received a slap on the wrist and got a 10-year probation. Within this probation period, however, he is prohibited from any alcohol or drugs.

It is believed that they fled to Mexico shortly after a video showing Ethan in a party that involved alcohol came out.

Meanwhile, a reward is set for the “Affluenza” teen's missing dog.

The dog, a half-shepherd, half wolf named Virgil, was lost during Ethan's and Tonya's scramble for freedom while being apprehended in Mexico, New York Daily News reported.

Misty McWilliams, a relative to the Couches, offered a $1,000 reward for the return of the lost dog who, according to commenters from social media, is “another victim of Ethan Couch, his mother and affluenza.”

"This poor thing has no idea where she is,” one commenter wrote, “nothing smells familiar, she doesn't 'understand' Spanish...”

"If the dog is wise, it will get as far away from that idiot as possible,” another one wrote. “Poor dog!"