'Affluenza' teenager granted deportation delay

A teenage fugitive from Texas known for using an “affluenza” defence has been granted a three-day delay in deportation, on the day he and his mother were scheduled to be sent back to the US from Mexico.

An official with Mexico’s Migration Institute said 18-year-old Ethan Couch had won a three-day court injunction.

It was not immediately clear if Couch’s mother Tonya would also be granted a delay.

Both had been scheduled to fly back to Houston on Wednesday evening after authorities said a phone call for pizza led to their capture in the Mexican resort city of Puerto Vallarta.

They were being held at immigration offices in Guadalajara.

A US Marshals Service agent tipped local authorities off on Monday to the location of Couch – who was on juvenile probation after killing four people in a 2013 drink-driving crash – and his mother.

Couch disappeared as authorities investigated whether he had violated the terms of his probation.

Mexican police say the fugitive “affluenza” teenager and his mother spent three days in a rented condo at a resort development in Puerto Vallarta before finding an apartment in a less glitzy area where they were found by police.

During the sentencing phase of Couch’s trial in Texas, a defence expert argued that his wealthy parents coddled him into a sense of irresponsibility – a condition the expert termed “affluenza”.

The condition is not recognised as a medical diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association, and its invocation drew ridicule.

According to the police report, one of the Couchs’ telephones had been used to order delivery from Domino’s Pizza to a condominium complex in Puerto Vallarta’s old town, far from the glitzy resorts of the city’s newer section.

Agents from the prosecutors’ office went to the complex, where a tourism operator told them that the people who had occupied the condo were asked to vacate because the owners were coming to stay, the report said.

The Couchs then moved to an apartment, and the agents set up a surveillance operation in the surrounding streets.

On Monday evening, detectives approached two people on a street matching the Couchs’ description.

New details emerge about 'affluenza' teen Ethan Couch's alleged life on the run: https://t.co/Af8vPkInrC pic.twitter.com/tQzJsjJsFF

— ABC News (@ABC) December 30, 2015

The police report said they showed an “evasive attitude”, gave inconsistent stories about their names and failed to provide proof of their legal migratory status in Mexico.

“They were confusing about their names and mentioned they had no identification and no immigration documents,” the report said.

They were taken into custody and handed over to immigration officials.

Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said on Tuesday that the Couchs had prepared to be gone a while, even dyeing Couch’s blond hair black.

“They had planned to disappear. They even had something that was almost akin to a going-away party before leaving town,” Mr Anderson said.

He would not give details about the event, including how many people attended.

Mr Anderson said Couch and his mother apparently crossed the border in her pick-up and drove to Puerto Vallarta. It was not clear whether they had any accomplices.

No immediate charges were planned for others who may have known about or assisted with the flight plan, Mr Anderson said. He said authorities have no evidence that Couch’s father, who owns a sheet metal factory in North Texas, was involved.

The sheriff 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.

Authorities had begun searching for the pair after Couch missed a mandatory appointment with his probation officer on December 10.

If found to be drinking, Couch’s probation could be revoked and he could face up to four months in jail. Once returned to Texas, Couch will be held in a Tarrant County facility until a probation violation hearing on January 19.