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A judge opted not to revoke Tonya Couch’s bond for allegedly drinking alcohol and possessing a firearm.
Judge Wayne Salvant heard arguments Thursday morning in a Tarrant County courtroom and said that Couch used bad judgment, but he wasn’t putting her in jail for a sip of alcohol.
"I haven't seen any threat to public by these allegations,” Salvant said. “If I did I would do something about it.”
A restaurant manager testified she saw Couch on a patio take one drink from a glass of what she believes was beer. A Johnson County commissioner testified he saw Couch walking with a rifle on her shoulder at a Fort Worth gun show last weekend.
Neither testimony was enough for Salvant to revoke bond, but he told Couch that she needed to make better choices.
“I want you to use common sense on everything that you do. It's been shown that you haven’t used common sense before, but now you should know that you have to use common sense,” Salvant said. “As you are aware the eyes of Texas are looking upon you.”
The judge did change Couch's bond conditions to not possessing as well as not consuming alcohol and now requires her to check in with her probation officer once a week.
Couch is out on bond while waiting for her trial for money laundering and hindering the apprehension of a felon -- her son Ethan Couch. Tonya Couch ran off to Mexico with her son while he was on probation for killing four people in 2013 in a drunk driving crash.
Ethan Couch is serving a two-year jail term following his probation violation.