Ethan Couch, the ‘affluenza teen,’ has been released from jail pending a drug re-test

Ethan Couch, the so-called affluenza teen, was in the Tarrant County Jail on Friday, but only until about 1 p.m., according to David McClelland, chief of staff with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office.

Couch, 22, will be given another drug test and his attorneys, Reagan Wynn and Scott Brown, said in a statement that they expected the re-test will show that Couch has not violated any of the conditions of his probation.

“We are optimistic the additional testing will verify Ethan has not knowingly and voluntarily used alcohol, THC, or any other prohibited substance since being released from custody more than 20 months ago,” the statement said. “The court will continue to intensely monitor Ethan for alcohol and illegal substance use. Ethan is committed to his sobriety and to remaining compliant with all of the terms and conditions imposed by the Court.”

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.”

According to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, probation officers reported that Couch had a “weak positive” THC result on a drug patch which he wore for monitoring purposes. He was booked into jail Thursday.

But probation officials said they “did not have confidence in the result,” the District Attorney’s Office said in a statement Friday.

“Until final testing, we cannot tell if the patch result was actually THC,” the statement said. “We cannot tell whether the ‘weak positive’ was caused by legal CBD oil or illegal marijuana.”

If there is “proof, we will file a motion to revoke probation,” the District Attorney’s Office said.

In 2013, 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.

After being sentenced to probation, Couch 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 Ethan 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 is 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.

This story contains information from Star-Telegram archives.

This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 1:41 PM.