Ethan Couch, so-called ‘affluenza teen,’ was back in jail, faces probation violation
The so-called “affluenza teen,” Ethan Couch, was back in the Tarrant County Jail on Thursday.
Couch, 22, of Fort Worth, was booked into jail Thursday afternoon and faces a charge of probation violation, according to jail records.
Couch is accused of testing positive for THC — the psychoactive compound in marijuana — on a drug patch, according to Tarrant County court records. The probation violation warrant was signed by Judge Robb Catalano in Criminal District Court No. 2.
Couch was originally sentenced to 10 years’ probation for driving drunk and causing a crash that killed four people in 2013.
His case drew national attention after a psychologist described Couch as a spoiled teen who grew up in a rich and dysfunctional family, and a victim of “affluenza.”
After being sentenced, he went through rehab and in December 2015 a video surfaced that showed a person who appeared to be Couch playing beer pong. He did not appear for a probation hearing and instead fled to a Mexican resort with his mom.
They were arrested later that month in Mexico and in April 2016 state district Judge Wayne Salvant sentenced Couch to 720 days in jail as a new condition of his probation.
Couch was released from jail in 2018.
The so-called “affluenza teen” was allowed to remove his GPS monitor in 2019 following his release, but he still must comply with other conditions of his release, according to Tarrant County court documents.
Couch was allowed to remove the monitor on March 18, 2019, almost a year after he was released from jail.
Under terms of his release, Couch still must be confined to his home. He is subject to a curfew that doesn’t allow him to leave home until 4 a.m. daily, returning by 9 p.m.
Couch must also use an alcohol monitor and wear a substance abuse test patch as instructed by authorities. Couch will be responsible for paying for the monitoring and he must obtain a new patch every 10 days.
And he cannot operate any motor vehicle without a camera-equipped ignition interlock device.
Couch’s attorneys, Scott Brown and Reagan Wynn, told the Associated Press their client has been intensely monitored for alcohol and illegal substance use for more than 20 months and “has never been positive for the use of any substance before.”
“We cannot make any further statement until we have the opportunity to conduct an investigation to determine if, in fact, Ethan ingested THC and, if so, if it was a voluntary act on his part,” Brown and Wynn said in a statement.
Couch was 16 when he was speeding in his Ford F-350 pickup truck on Burleson-Retta Road in southern Tarrant County and came upon people trying to assist a stranded motorist. He was drunk, with a blood alcohol level of 0.24, and crashed into the group, setting off a series of crashes that killed four people and injured 12.
Killed were Breanna Mitchell, 24, of Lillian, whose car had broken down; Hollie Boyles, 52, and Shelby Boyles, 21, who lived nearby and had come outside to help Mitchell; and Burleson youth minister Brian Jennings, 41, a passer-by who had also stopped to help.
This story contains information from Star-Telegram archives.
This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 2:26 PM.
