Sheriff to Affluenza Teen's Mom: Jail Is Not 'a Resort'

Tonya Couch reportedly complained about conditions
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 8, 2016 1:40 PM CST
Sheriff to Affluenza Teen's Mom: Jail Is Not 'a Resort'
Tonya Couch appears in court in Fort Worth, Texas, Friday, Jan. 8, 2016.   (Rodger Mallison/Star-Telegram via AP, Pool)

Tonya Couch, mom to "affluenza teen" Ethan Couch, was arraigned in Texas Friday on a charge of aiding her son's flight to Mexico after his suspected probation violation, a third-degree felony that carries a prison sentence as high as 10 years. She didn't enter a plea, Reuters reports, but the arraignment was not without a bit of drama: First of all, Couch's attorney got caught in traffic and wasn't there. Second of all, the Tarrant County sheriff told an interesting story after the proceeding was over, WFAA reports.

Sheriff Dee Anderson said that Couch has complained about conditions inside the jail where she's being held, specifically, that it's too bright, making it difficult to sleep. His response to her: "It's jail, not a resort." Couch has a bond reduction hearing scheduled Monday; her bond is currently set at $1 million, but her lawyers reportedly want it reduced to $15,000. If she ends up making bond, the judge told her she'd be under severe restrictions, including giving up her passport and wearing a GPS ankle monitor. Couch said she doesn't even have a passport because she never got it back after being deported from Mexico. (She never got her dog back either.)

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