DALLAS (AP) – Authorities say a Texas teenager serving probation for killing four people in a drunken-driving wreck after invoking an “affluenza” defense has been detained in Mexico.
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18-year-old “Affluenza Teen” Ethan Couch attempted to change his appearance while hiding in Mexico, but a phone call for food led authorities to him and his mother.
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Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson has said he believes the two fled in late November after a video surfaced that appears to show Couch at a party where people were drinking.
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Couch was convicted on four counts of intoxication manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years of drink and drug-free probation, which critics saw as leniency because of his family’s wealth.
During the trial, a psychologist testified that Couch suffered from “affluenza” – he was the product of wealthy, privileged parents who never set limits for the boy.
The controversy was reignited this month after the emergence of a video showing Couch at a party taking part in a drinking game, which violated the terms of his probation.
He said the two did not register when entering Mexico and it was not clear where they came in. He noted that authorities have no evidence that Couch’s father, who owns a sheet metal factory in North Texas, was involved. Couch could be held in a juvenile facility until April if his probation is revoked, not 10 years in prison.
Authorities began searching for him and his mother after he missed a mandatory appointment with his probation officer on December 10.
Ethan Couch’s attorney, Reagan Wynn, declined to comment, saying in a statement he had not had the chance yet to speak with his client.
The Tarrant County District Attorney’s office also told local media outlets that the two had been taken into custody in the Pacific resort city. Couch could face 10 years in prison for each of the four deaths if his case is transferred to adult court and he violates his probation in the future.
What kind of justice Couch could face this time will depend on whether he is treated as an adult or a juvenile for his alleged probation violation.
Authorities in Texas have issued a warrant for Tonya Couch’s arrest for hindering apprehension.
Tuesday, a representative in Jalisco state for Mexico’s National Institute of Immigration said the Couches would be “deported voluntarily”.
“They are going to be sent back to their country, given that they were in Mexico improperly”, Ariel Vera said.
A Mexican immigration official says USA fugitive Ethan Couch is being transported from Guadalajara to larger immigration facilities in Mexico City. “They would have had to enter, for example, as tourists, but they entered without registering”.
Couch was driving drunk and speeding near Fort Worth in June 2013, when he crashed into a disabled SUV, killing four people and injuring several others, including passengers in his pickup truck.
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Schmall reported from Fort Worth, Texas.
