Officials: 'Affluenza' teen, mom tracked to Mexico by phone

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — A teen fugitive from Texas known for using an "affluenza" defense and his mother were scheduled to depart for the U.S. after authorities said a phone call for pizza led to their capture in the Mexican resort city of Puerto Vallarta.

A U.S. Marshals Service agent tipped local authorities off Monday to the location of Couch — who was on juvenile probation after killing four people in a 2013 drunken-driving wreck — and his mother, according to a police report issued by the Jalisco state prosecutors' office.

During the sentencing phase of Couch's trial, a defense expert argued that his wealthy parents coddled him into a sense of irresponsibility — a condition the expert termed "affluenza."

According to the police report, one of the Couches' 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.

The police report said they behaved evasively, claimed to be carrying no IDs, gave inconsistent stories about their names and failed to provide proof of their legal migratory status in Mexico.

Anderson said an arrest warrant was being issued for Tonya Couch on charges of hindering an apprehension, a third-degree felony that carries a sentence of two to 10 years in prison.

Couch was driving drunk and speeding on a road south of Fort Worth in June 2013 when he crashed into a disabled SUV off to the side, killing four people and injuring several others, including passengers in his pickup truck.