'Affluenza' teen's mom took US$30,000 before fleeing to Mexico

Law enforcement officials say the mother of a fugitive teen who invoked "affluenza" as a defense in a 2013 fatal drunken-driving accident took US$30,000 from a bank account and cut ties with her husband before fleeing to Mexico.

Tonya Couch and her son Ethan Couch were arrested in Mexico last month after he missed a meeting with his probation officer.

The bank withdrawal and phone call to her husband on Dec. 3 saying he'd never see them again were documented in Tonya Couch's arrest warrant released Friday.

She is being held in Tarrant County on US$1 million bond on a charge of hindering apprehension of a felon.

Ethan Couch remains in custody in Mexico after winning a delay on his deportation back to Texas, where he could face jail time.