Tonya Couch back in jail after failing June drug test
Tonya Couch is back in the Tarrant County Jail after failing a drug test while out on bond.
Tonya violated bond conditions after she tested positive for amphetamine/methamphetamine, according to a June 6 memo obtained by FOX 4. She was arrested again on Thursday.
The affluenza teen’s mom was released only a few weeks ago from jail after being arrested in March. She was arrested then because she failed a urine test.
Tonya is accused of withdrawing $30,000 from a bank account and using it to run away with her son, Ethan Couch, to Mexico in December 2015. He was on probation for his drunken driving crash that killed four people in 2013. Both were later captured in Mexico.
Tonya still faces charges of money laundering and hindering apprehension.
Attorney Trent Loftin is not associated with the case but has been following the Tonya Couch saga closely. He says another arrest isn't doing her any favors with the court.
"The judge has certain criteria he has to do to make sure someone follows his rules,” Loftin said. “The easiest way he can get you to follow his rules is to hold the bond insufficient and make an individual sit in jail."
But Loftin says the attorney for Tonya Couch will try to prove that a positive urine sample doesn't mean she's guilty.
“The judge will probably order a more detailed urinalysis from a lab that could break apart and see what levels of methamphetamine or amphetamine are in the system,” Loftin said. “Is this part of a prescription? is this part of a doctor's service order? But that's going to be up to the judge and up to the district attorney's office to determine if there's actually a bond violation."
Ethan was released from jail in April after serving two years. While on probation, he’s required to wear an ankle monitor that will also test for alcohol. He has a curfew and is only allowed to take prescribed drugs until he completes his probation in 2024.