Summary: Parole officers can’t contact Ethan Couch, and a video suggests he further violated the terms of his probation at a drinking party.
Ethan Couch raised fervor in the U.S. after he received no jail sentence, though he drove drunk – 3 times the legal limit – and crashed and killed 4 people injuring two others. A psychiatrist defended Couch with the “affluenza” defense, that Couch had affluenza caused by his family’s wealth and having a dysfunctional relationship with Ethan. Instead of the 20 years prosecutors were seeking against him, he got 10 years of probation.
Now he’s broken the terms of his probation. Attorneys Reagan Wynn and Scott Brown emailed saying juvenile probation officers could contact neither Ethan nor his mother for “several days.”
“It’s our understanding that the court has issued a directive to apprehend to have Ethan detained because he is out of contact with his probation officer,” said his attorneys.
Furthermore, a social media video emerged possibly revealing that Ethan attended a drinking party. The terms of his probation were that he could not drink alcohol, do drugs, or drive.
Regarding the party, his attorneys said “are aware that the probation authorities and/or the District Attorney’s office are conducting an investigation to determine if Ethan has violated any of the terms and conditions of his probation. It would not be prudent for us to make any further statement on Ethan’s behalf until the investigations are concluded and it is determined what, if any, action will be taken against him.”
In everyday life, it is common that if somebody cuts you off driving, if you follow him for a while, he will continue that annoying behavior, maybe making a right turn without a signal. In the same way, though Ethan was given a break on his manslaughter sentence, that doesn’t mean his ill behavior will be reformed.
His case may move from Juvenile court to adults district court, as he turns 19 in April. The terms of his probation themselves could put him in jail for up to ten years.
Source: Rawstory