Authorities are searching for a troubled Texas teen who may have violated his probation after killing four people in a 2013 drunken-driving accident – and they now fear he may have skipped town.
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Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson has said: “You can run, but you’re always going to be looking over your shoulder”.
While there has been no specific evidence that suggests that Couch or his mother has left the country, authorities have expressed a general concern that Couch and his mother may have had the time, money and means to flee.
When Couch saw his day in court, psychologist G. Dick Miller famously said his actions could be blamed on a severe case of “affluenza”, essentially arguing the teen-a product of extremely rich parents who taught him he could do no wrong-was so tainted by his millionaire parents that he was basically a rudderless ship left adrift in the world.
The U.S. Marshals poster says a reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information that leads to the whereabouts and arrest of Couch.
Once Couch is found, there’s a “variety of possibilities”, said Samantha Jordan, the Tarrant County district attorney’s spokeswoman.
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. On December 11th, a warrant was issued for Couch’s arrest. A pickup driven by Couch in June 2013 was travelling at more than 65 miles per hour along a dark, two-lane road south of Fort Worth when it barreled into a disabled vehicle and a group of people who had stopped to help the stranded motorist.
A law-enforcement insider told The ENQUIRER: “We’re still looking forward to catching him, and we’re also thinking that the judge did us a favor!”
News of the defense quickly pissed a lot of people off. That outrage was amplified when Couch, who’d pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault while intoxicated, avoided prison and was sentenced to rehab and ten years of drug-and-alcohol-free probation.
“After seeing the interviews with the victims’ families and stuff, it really gets to me”, she said earlier this month.
One possible factor in his disappearance is a video that was posted on Twitter that appears to show Couch at a party near a beer pong table. A man reported to be Couch, can be seen clapping during the dive.
“Once that video came out, they felt like a probation violation could be coming”, Anderson told ABC News.
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If convicted of violating his parole, Couch could face up to 10 years behind bars. He was ordered to attend a rehabilitation facility.
