Ethan Couch, the Burleson, Texas teen who used the infamous “affluenza” defense after he killed four people while drunk driving in 2013, allegedly violated his probation and appears to be on the run.
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Some law enforcement authorities fear Couch and his mom have left the country.
In a news release, the U.S. Marshals Service said: ‘U.S. Marshals are working in conjunction with state, local, and federal agencies in the apprehension of Couch.
Couch’s blood alcohol levels were three times over the limit and he also had Valium in his system after he and a group of friends stole alcohol from a Walmart supermarket. Couch pled guilty but – despite facing a maximum of 20 years in prison for intoxication manslaughter – was let off with ten years on probation and a mandatory stay at a rehab facility after presenting a controversial “affluenza defence”.
Joey Jackson, a criminal defense attorney and CNN legal analyst, thinks Couch’s lawyers might have had some success explaining the party video.
In June 2013 Couch killed 24-year-old Breanna Mitchell, whose SUV had broken down, and three people who had stopped to help: youth pastor Brian Jennings 41, and Hollie Boyles, 52, and her daughter, Shelby Boyles, 21.
An order to find and detain Couch has been logged into the national database and authorities have been interviewing people every day. Two were riding in the bed of the truck and were seriously injured.
The teen’s light sentence evoked anger across the country. “At some point, they’re going to need to get more cash, and that’s probably coming from somebody familiar”.
“You can run, but you’re always going to be looking over your shoulder”, Anderson said. “Accordingly, it would not be appropriate for us to publicly discuss this matter further at this time“, they said in a statement. “We’re going come after you”, Anderson said.
And on December 3, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office confirmed receipt of the video making the viral rounds on social media. “They have the ability to do that, and do it quickly”, Anderson said late Thursday.
A warrant for his arrest was issued on Wednesday after he failed to report to his probation officer.
Couch and his mother face additional difficulty, Ahearn says, because of the volume of publicity the case has received.
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Once Couch is found, there’s a “variety of possibilities”, Jordan said. But even if a judge approves the request, it would not go into effect until after his 19th birthday in April. However, someone posted a beer pong clip on Twitter earlier this month of Couch drinking, and the county DA got wind of it. They went to talk to Couch about it, but it seems he’d disappeared. The video itself would not necessarily be a probation violation, Dallas attorney Nicole Knox told KTVT 11 (CBS). Terms of his probation forbid use of alcohol. The teen was also ordered into long-term mental health treatment, away from his parents’ influence.
