Kane Dane
A Texas man, Ethan Couch, who is known for claiming “affluenza” as part of his defense in a deadly DUI crash, is back in prison after violating his probation, arrest documents show.
22-year-old Couch had been on probation since April 2018 after releasing from Jail. He was serving 720 days for his prior violating his probation in connection with a drunken-driving crash that killed four people and injured numerous others.
An arrest warrant was issued for Couch on Thursday morning, and he was taken in custody into the Tarrant County Jail a few hours later.
He was directed to be held without bail.
Court documents showed that Couch was tested positive for THC in a mandatory narcotics screening that was part of his probation.
The 22-year-old was found guilty at his 2013 trial of four counts of involuntary manslaughter and initially sentenced to 10 years of probation and time in a rehabilitation center.
The case of Couch gained national attention after, during the sentencing period, a psychologist testified that the then 16-year-old Couch was an outcome of “affluenza.” Negligent parenting had “strongly enabled” the accident. The blood-alcohol level of the then 16-year-old was three times the legal limit on the night of the accident.
While on probation in 2015, Couch failed to present to check-in with his probation deputy, sparking a search. Authorities found out that hat he’d escape to Mexico with his mother, Tonya Couch.
Couch and his mother were arrested in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico after U.S. Marshals and other American law enforcement agencies tracked them for almost two weeks.
After being deported to the U.S., Couch was jailed to 720 days for violating the terms of his probation — 180 days for each victim.
Meanwhile, his mother was charged with hindering apprehension of a known criminal and money laundering, but released on bond. Tonya Couch’s case is still pending.
