Judge moves ‘affluenza’ teen Ethan Couch’s case to adult court

The pair left the country in December, and sparked an global manhunt, after a video allegedly showing Couch at a party with alcohol – something that would violate his probation – surfaced online. One condition could include a jail sentence of 120 to 180 days. Ethan Couch is being held in solitary confinement at the Tarrant County adult jail.

The decision was made Friday morning by District Judge Timothy A. Menikos.

Fred Couch, Ethan Couch’s father, attended the hearing, along with Ethan Couch’s half-brother, Steven McWilliams.

Couch was ridiculed for initially receiving probation for causing the death of four other teens while driving.

Ethan’s lawyers said earlier this month that they will not fight the move to the adult system.

A hearing to set the probation terms has not yet been scheduled. This will take effect around April 11, the date when Couch turns 19.

Couch had been serving a sentence of 10 years’ probation for the deadly crash. The terms of Couch’s probation prohibited him from drinking or leaving Tarrant County and if he were found to be in violation of that probation he could be handed a jail sentence.

The judge’s ruling today means couch’s probation will now extend past his 19th birthday.

By having the case transferred to the adult system, Couch will not face the threat of decades in prison unless he violates probation in the future. “And it makes all of us determined to make sure that this case gets every bit of justice that it can get from this point forward”, said Dee Anderson.

Mother Tonya Couch faces up to 10 years in prison for helping her son escape to Mexico. Although Brown won’t detail what he plans to argue at Friday’s hearing, the punishment could be greater if the judge were to keep the case in the juvenile system. He is not eligible for release on bond in the juvenile system, while that option is available in the adult system.

Before the hearing, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) President Colleen Sheehey-Church spoke to reporters outside the courthouse.

With the help of his mother, Tonya, Ethan Couch fled to Mexico sometime in December.

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Couch’s case grasped the attention of worldwide media when the then 16-year-old’s defence of “affluenza” (meaning his rich parents spoiled him so much he didn’t know the difference between right and wrong) proved to be a success.