THE NEWS IS NEXT.
BREAKING NEWS AT
4:00 O'CLOCK, THE MEXICAN TOTAL
THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF AN
INTERNATIONAL MATT.
THIS IS THE FIRST LOOK AT WHERE
SO-CALLED AFFLUENZA TEEN, ETHAN
COUCH AND HIS MOTHER WERE
ARRESTED WHEN THEY WERE HIDING.
THEY ARE NEXT TRIP WILL BRING
THEM TO ONE OF HOUSTON'S
AIRPORT.
WHEN WILL THEY ARRIVE AND HA
COMES NEXT?
OUR LIVE TEAM COVERAGE STARTS
NOW.
HE AND HIS MOTHER WILL RETURN
BY WAY OF HOUSTON.
I'M KEITH GARVIN.
I'M SARA DONCHEY.
THIS IS A STORY WE HAVE BEEN
TRACKING FOR YOU SINCE WE
LEARNED THE TWO WERE CAPTURED IN
MEXICO LAST NIGHT.
ETHAN COUCH DREW SHARP CRITICISM
AFTER A JUDGE SENTENCED HIM TO
TEN YEARS PROBATION FOR DRUNK
DRIVING CRASH THAT KILLED FOUR
PEOPLE.
HE VIOLATED HIS PAROLE AND FLED
AND CAPTURED IN MEXICO YESTERDAY
AS WE MENTIONED.
AUTHORITIES ARE EXPECTED TO
RETURN HIM AND HIS MOTHER TO THE
U.S. BY WAY OF HOUSTON.
JACE LARSON BEGINS OUR TEAM
COVERAGE LIVE FROM BUSH
INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT.
JACE?
Reporter: GOOD EVENING TO
YOU.
THIS IS WHERE THE TEEN AND HIS
MOTHER ARE EXPECTED TO ARRIVE.
THEY COULD COME INTO HOUSTON'S
BUSH INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT AS
EARLY AS TOMORROW AFTER THEY
WERE CAPTURED IN MEXICO.
THE PHOTO TAKEN OF ETHAN COUCH
BY MEXICAN AUTHORITIES AFTER HE
WAS CAPTURED SHOWS HE DARKENED
HIS HAIR AND HIS BEARD.
IT WAS NO LONGER BLOND AS IT HAD
BEEN WHEN HE APPEARED IN COURT.
TARRANT COUNTY SHERIFF SAID
TODAY HE THINKS COUCH AND HIS
MOM FLED IN LATE NOVEMBER AFTER
THIS VIDEO SURFACED.
IT APPEARS TO SHOW COUCH AT A
PARTY WITH PEOPLE WHO WERE
DRINKING.
IF COUCH WAS DRINKING, HIS
PROBATION COULD BE REVOKED.
AUTHORITIES BEGAN SEARCHING FOR
THE PAIR AFTER ETHAN FAILED TO
KEEP A MAPPED TRI APPOINTMENT
WITH HIS PROBATION OFFICER
DECEMBER 10.
EVENTUALLY GOT SOME
INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION THAT
WAS VERY VALUABLE THAT THEY HAD
PROBABLY DRIVEN THE PICK UP
TRUCK THAT WE PUT OUT AT THE
LAST NEWS CONFERENCE, THE
INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE TO LOOK
FOR.
THAT'S WHEN TOE THEY WOULD US
THEY HAD DRIVEN THAT TO THE
BORDER.
STATE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
SAID COUCH AND HIS MOTHER WERE
FOUND IN OLD TOWN IN PUERTA VIA
AT THAT.
LEARNED THAT WHAT WE EXPECTED
ALL ALONG HAD HAPPENED, THAT
THEY HAD PLANNED TO DISAPPEAR,
THAT THEY EVEN HAD SOMETHING
THAT WAS ALMOST AKIN TO A GOING
AWAY PARTY.
Reporter: THE SHERIFF ALSO
TELLS US THAT THE MOTHER IN THIS
CASE IS EXPECTED TO FACE A
CHARGE HERSELF.
THAT EXPECTED CHARGE IS
HINDERING APPREHENSION IN TEXAS.
LIVE AT BUSH AIRPORT, JACE
LARSON, KPRC CHANNEL 2 NEWS.
THANK YOU.
MORE TO LEARN HERE.
WHAT A WAITS ETHAN COUCH?
WHAT'S THE NEXT STEP IN THE
LEGAL CASE AND WHAT PUNISHMENT
COULD HE FACE FOR FLEE TO GO
MEXICO?
YOU'VE WITHIN LOOKING INTO --
LOOKING INTO WHERE THIS GOES
NEXT?
Reporter: AND LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ARE
TELLING US THEY'VE BEEN TOLD TO
EXPECT COUCH AND HIS MOTHER TO
MAKE AN APPEARANCE AT THE COUNTY
MAGISTRATE COURT SOMETIME
TOMORROW AFTERNOON THEY LANDS.
OTHER SOURCES ARE SAYING THEY
DON'T EXPECT IT WILL HAPPEN THAT
QUICKLY.
WHATEVER PUNISHMENT COUCH FACES
ONCE HE IS BROUGHT BACK, DEPENDS
ON SOME LEGAL MANEUVERING
UNDERWAY IN FORT WORTH.
ETHAN COUCH AND HIS MOTHER
TONYA, WILL LAND FIRST IN
HOUSTON BECAUSE IT IS THE
NEAREST PORT OF ENTRY.
ACCORDING TO FEDERAL SOURCES,
THEY'LL BE WALKED THROUGH
CUSTOMS AT THE AIRPORT, THEN
STANDARD PROCEDURE WOULD BE TO
TAKE THEM BEFORE A STATE JUDGE
HERE TO HAVE CHARGES READ
AGAINST THEM AND BOND SET.
THEY COULD THEN BE TURNED OVER
TO TARRANT COUNTY OFFICERS TO BE
TRANSPORTED BACK TO FORT WORTH.
BUT LAW ENFORCEMENT SOURCES TELL
CHANNEL IT NEWS THEY EXPECT BOTH
TO SPEND AT LEAST ONE NIGHT IN
JAIL HERE.
PRESS HAVE ALSO BEEN TOLD TO
EXPECT THEM TO ARRIVE SOMETIME
WEDNESDAY, BUT CHANNEL 2 LEGAL
ANALYST BRIAN WICE SAYS COUCH'S
ATTORNEY DOESN'T BELIEVE IT WILL
HAPPEN THAT QUICKLY.
IT'S A VIOLATION OF THE
MEXICAN CONSTITUTION TO
EXTRADITE A JUVENILE.
Reporter: CHANNEL 2 ANALYST
BRIAN WICE HAS BEEN IN CONTACT
WITH COUCH'S ATTORNEY, WHO
EXPECTS THE PROCESS OF BRINGING
THEM BACK TO TAKE MUCH LONGER.
THE PROSPECT OF ETHAN BEING
EXTRADITED IS PROBABLATIC.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT HE CAN'T
BE DEPORTED.
Reporter: WHEN COUCH RETURNS
AS A JUVENILE, HE COULD BE
LOCKED UP ONLY UNTIL HE TURNS 19
NEXT APRIL.
THE TARRANT COUNTY D.A. IS
ALREADY MOVING TO TRANSFER THE
CASE TO ADULT COURT WHERE COUCH
COULD FACE A MUCH STIFFER
PUNISHMENT.
WHEN HE I
S
RETURNED, ALONG
WITH HIS MOTHER, WE EXPECT THE
MOTHER TO BE CHARGED WITH
HINDERING
APPREHENSION AND TEXAS
LAW AND THEN
EXPECT TO
BEGIN
PROCEEDINGS WIT
H ETHAN
COUCH.
AS YOU
KNOW, THERE IS ALREADY
HEARINGS SET
ON JANUARY 19 TO
TRANSFER HIS
JUVENILE PROBATION
TO THE ADULT SYSTEM.
Reporter: IF THE JUVENILE
JUDGE APPROVES THAT, IT COULD
RESULT IN A LONGER CONFINEMENT
OR POSSIBILITY OF LONGER
CONFINEMENT FOR ETHAN COUCH, UP
TO TEN YEARS, ACCORDING TO
MR. WICE.
THE CHARGE HIS MOTHER COULD FACE
CARRIES A PUNISHMENT RANGE OF