It is being reported on August 31, 2016 that lawyers for the wealthy teen, who killed four people while drunk driving in 2013, have filed a motion for his release. Ethan Couch, 19, fled the country with his mother to the resort city of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in 2015. He was extradited back to the U.S. where he was sentenced to two years in jail. Couch’s lawyers claim that the judge who sentenced Couch did not have jurisdiction over the rich teen’s case.
“The motion says juvenile cases like Couch’s are technically considered civil proceedings, but the judge who oversaw the case, Wayne Salvant, is a Tarrant County criminal court judge . . . ”
Couch was 16-years-old when he drove under the influence of alcohol and killed four individuals on the side of the road who were helping a motorist with car trouble. Couch’s attorneys at the time argued that the teen was too wealthy and spoiled to understand the gravity of what he had done, saying he suffered from ‘affluenza.’ As a result, Couch avoided prison time and was given a 10-year probation. Soon after, Couch was caught drinking in a video which was tweeted, he then ran away to Mexico with his mother, Tonya, 49.
“Tonya was indicted by a grand jury in May on charges of money laundering and hindering the apprehension of her son. Earlier this month, a judge signed a bond condition stating Tonya didn’t have to live under home confinement. She currently works at a honky-tonk bar in Azle.”
Ethan Couch is serving his time, mostly in isolation for his own protection at the Tarrant County Corrections Center in Texas.
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