Tonya Couch has officially returned to North Texas soil and been booked into the Tarrant County Jail and was set to be arraigned Friday morning.
The mother of "affluenza teen" Ethan Couch stepped off a commercial American Airlines flight at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport at about 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
She was put into the back of an SUV and sent on her way to the county jail, where a throng of media members awaited her arrival.
Tonya Couch's lawyers have asked that her $1 million dollar bond be lowered. A hearing will be held Monday on the decision. Friday Couch ended up not entering a plea because one of her lawyers didn't make the arraignment due to traffic.
Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said Couch's booking process was routine.
"I don't think we had one hiccup, one surprise," Anderson said. "We were prepared for everything."
Anderson, who spoke briefly with Couch about procedures upon her arrival, described her as "quiet, reserved and respectful." He added that she was "strangely appreciative" of the process.
He said Tonya Couch hadn't eaten in nearly 24 hours. In the only unusual part of the booking process, she was given a sack lunch in a holding cell, he said.
At a court hearing earlier this week in Los Angeles, Couch, 48, waived extradition and agreed to head to Texas to face charges. Authorities in Tarrant County said they planned to book her on a charge of hindering apprehension of a fugitive. Her bond is set at $1 million.
Anderson wouldn't comment on Couch's bond or the possibility of her being considered a flight risk.
The Tarrant County District's Attorney office said a bond reduction hearing is scheduled for Monday morning where Couch's attorney will attempt to get her $1 million bond drastically reduced. If that happens, she could potentially post bond, but be forced to wear a GPS monitoring device, depending on conditions imposed by State District Judge Wayne Salvant.
Couch is accused of helping her son, Ethan, flee to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, after he missed a juvenile probation appointment. Prior to the two heading to Mexico, video surfaced allegedly showing Ethan at a party where beer pong was being played.
The Couches were detained by Mexican authorities last week.
Ethan son remains in Mexico, where he and a high-profile Mexican attorney are fighting his deportation to the U.S.
On an interesting but unrelated note, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen were on the same flight to North Texas as Tonya Couch.
