GUILTY TX - Ethan Couch 'Affluenza Teen' DUI driver who killed four gets probation, 2013 #1

[K_Z]

$5000 Reward.

http://cw33.com/2015/12/18/fbi-joins-search-for-affluenza-teen-ethan-couch/

A $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of Ethan Couch is now being offered, Rick Taylor with the North Texas U.S. Marshals Office tells NewsFix.

*6 sec of the "beer pong" video at link, also.

At the time of his conviction, prosecutors said Couch could be incarcerated up to 10 years for violating his probation terms

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I'd think a minimum of 10 years, plus additional charges for fleeing, etc. I hope when he's found he faces at least 30 years or more. If the mother is with him, she should be charged and do prison time as well.

 

[JeannaT]

I was just out running errands, mulling over this case.

It occurred to me that if Ethan's parents had set up a plan to ruin his life from the time he was born, they honestly couldn't have come up with a more sure-fire plan to do it.

1. At an early age, make sure he feels he is invincible, and above the law. Demonstrate this often by downtalking LE, and committing petty crimes yourselves as an example. Make sure he sees you don't suffer any consequences.
2. Go through a messy divorce while he is still in elementary school. Dad, scoot mostly out of the picture. Mom, treat him as a trusted partner.
3. When he gets in minor scrapes with the law, make sure he doesn't suffer any consequences either legally or at home. Refuse to collaborate with other parents to make sure his grouping of friends doesn't create trouble. Don't follow up with the parents of other minors who are involved in scrapes with the law with him.
4. Provide him with a "muscle" car with a badboy reputation, and if his breaks down provide him with a better one temporarily.
5. Give him his own home when he is 14, and make it clear you will not be dropping by there to supervise him for weeks on end.
6. When he finally commits a crime the level of a felony, take responsibility for it yourselves, and whisk him away out of public eye. Don't provide additional supervision during his probationary time.
7. When he is caught violating probation and it's clear there's a warrant for his arrest, make sure you are successful in making him a fugitive from the law.
Really, it's surprising when you look at it - if their goal was to ruin his life, they honestly couldn't have come up with a more reliable plan. The more I look at this, the more I empathize with him and wonder about the mental health of his parents.

 

[SCHMAE]

View attachment 85898

$5000 Reward.

http://cw33.com/2015/12/18/fbi-joins-search-for-affluenza-teen-ethan-couch/



*6 sec of the "beer pong" video at link, also.

.

I'd think a minimum of 10 years, plus additional charges for fleeing, etc. I hope when he's found he faces at least 30 years or more. If the mother is with him, she should be charged and do prison time as well.

I think John and Paul said it best '' It won't be long "

 

[Boodles]

The more I look at this, the more I empathize with him and wonder about the mental health of his parents.

For sure, these parents are laden with issues, as described in their psych evaluation, IIRC, from their divorce. The mom is a prescription drug addict (or abuser, dont know if she still is), sickenly enmeshed with her son, and the father is a DV perpetrator and generally explosive and violent. They're both off the rails, just in different ways. With role models like that, what do you expect!

 

[Everyday Grace]

FORT WORTH, Texas (Reuters) - Numerous tips have been reported on the possible whereabouts of a Texas teen from a wealthy family suspected of violating a probation deal that kept him out of prison for killing four people in a drunken-driving crash, a sheriff said on Friday.

Sources close to the investigation said the teen’s father told law enforcement officials the passports of the youth and his mother, with whom he was living, were missing.

http://news.yahoo.com/tips-coming-texas-affluenza-teen-may-left-country-215654040.html

 

[Everyday Grace]

This article from the Dallas Morning News also contains a Wanted poster.

U.S. Marshals release ‘Wanted’ poster for ‘affluenza’ teen Ethan Couch, offer $5,000 reward

http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/201...enza-teen-ethan-couch-offer-5000-reward.html/

 

[Everyday Grace]

Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said Friday that he believes Couch fled in the days after the [beer pong] video came to light. He said Couch and his mother may have left the area in late November, shortly after Couch attended a mandatory meeting with his probation officer and well before their next scheduled meeting on Dec. 10.

Anderson, the Tarrant County sheriff, said Couch's father, Fred Couch, told investigators that he hasn't heard from his son or ex-wife in about two weeks.

http://news.yahoo.com/q-look-search-texas-teen-affluenza-case-163949955.html

 

[faw720]

I only have one question! Why in the heck, if he was on probation, did he even have a valid passport????????? It just boggles my mind!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sonya610]

And even if they fled to a country that has a non extradiotion policy with the U.S., it will not matter because ethan couch is not facing the death penalty.

they WILL have to turn him over.

There are plenty of countries with no extradition agreement and no, they don't have to turn him over if they don't feel like it.

The death penalty only comes into play when there IS an existing treaty. If the criminal could face the death penalty and the country that has custody opposes capital punishment they may refuse to abide by the treaty (such as Charles Ng, the serial killer caught in Canada, the Canadians didn't want to turn him over for fear he would be executed in the U.S.).

 

[JeannaT]

I only have one question! Why in the heck, if he was on probation, did he even have a valid passport????????? It just boggles my mind!!!!!!!!!

When you're on probation, they don't confiscate your passport. They tell you you can't travel without permission, but they don't take away your forms of ID.

 

[Ray_of_hope]

It's pretty pathetic that a justice system does not serve justice simply because parents haven't disciplined a child. Hope they're apprehended soon and not 20 years down the line like other 'runners'. I am disgusted.

 

[JeannaT]

So I'm curious, and I can't find specific Law Enforcement graphics or video. Was Ethan Couch given a lesser sentence because he hit people/cars who were in the road after dark?

I ask this, because there was a case in Austin recently where a drunk driving woman hit another woman, who was in the middle of the road at about midnight. A stone cold sober person could have hit that woman. The woman who hit her was given a pass.

So that's why I ask - was there some thought that there were these cars in the road, and people in the road, when Ethan's car barrelled into them? Was that a reason he was given a lenient sentence?

 

[Sonya610]

So I'm curious, and I can't find specific Law Enforcement graphics or video. Was Ethan Couch given a lesser sentence because he hit people/cars who were in the road after dark?

I don't think there were cars or people actually in the road. One car/truck spun out and ended up on the SIDE of the road and that is when the people in the house came out to help.

But if that one car with a sober driver spun out in that spot then obviously road conditions could have contributed to Couch losing control too, course Couch was traveling at an excessively high speed which made the crash so lethal.

 

[KaaBoom]

I think they have a lot LESS money now than they did before they began trying to keep Ethan out of jail. In the 20/20 episode on the last page, it says they spend 100k for a ' rehab' resort place he went to immediately after the crash. I guess they thought that would keep him out of trouble to say he was in rehab ? Also, note to parents, that 100k rehab did not rehab your boy since he's still partying last month with his friends.

Someone here pointed out that the father makes 15 million dollars a year. $100,000 is small change for them. Even the 2 million dollars that they paid to settle the lawsuit, wouldn’t have affected their wealth substantially. I think it’s a safe bet that they are still billionaires. They are not short of money.

 

[JeannaT]

Someone here pointed out that the father makes 15 million dollars a year. $100,000 is small change for them. Even the 2 million dollars that they paid to settle the lawsuit, wouldn’t have affected their wealth substantially. I think it’s a safe bet that they are still billionaires. They are not short of money.

That was proven incorrect, Kaaboom. That was the gross amount that passed through his steel construction business.

They aren't wealthy. They're upper middle class, with problems. They live in suburban Burleson.

 

[JeannaT]

I don't think there were cars or people actually in the road. One car/truck spun out and ended up on the SIDE of the road and that is when the people in the house came out to help.

But if that one car with a sober driver spun out in that spot then obviously road conditions could have contributed to Couch losing control too, course Couch was traveling at an excessively high speed which made the crash so lethal.

Yes, he was going 70+ on a residential road. Completely irresponsible. I'm just trying to picture what the jury may have seen - that there were cars and people in the road after dark.

 

[Archangel7]

Respectfully... this kid isn't an escaped prisoner or wanted killer, he was a drunk driver that the US did NOT bother to incarcerate. If our legal system decided he didn't need to be locked up and as a result he wandered away I don't see why foreign countries or Interpol would put out an all points bulletin or waste their resources to help us find him.

If other countries don't want to arrest/return him fine, he is their problem now.

Likely it is in the interpretation....
Basically what actual happens is ....when FBI and US Marshal service gets involved they open up search parameters to a Global level. If he travelled thru a Border checkpoint, etc. they can know that if they wish.

It doesn't necessarily mean that they have asked other international agencies to find/pursue/arrest/extradite although they likely have flagged him so if he or mom interact with enforcement anywhere the FBI/Marshals will be notified.

 

[1&2&3]

This case is disgusting to me! I can only imagine how the victims' families feel!

Having been raised as not only a rich kid, he was Mommy and Daddy's child who never did anything wrong in their eyes. How in the world did the judge think this 16 year old was going to get any guidance from his parents? They had failed him in the previous years of raising him, how were they to change their views overnight with this brat they created and Mommy sheltered?

Ordering him to a strict bordering school along with the probation was needed with conditions that he followed the school's rules and graduated or off to jail he would go.

As it is, the sentence he was given had no stated consequences. For a family who thinks they are above the law, they needed a tough strict ruling which got the son away from the parents, while telling them in black and white what would cancel the sentence and send him to jail.

My opinions only.

 

[Ray_of_hope]

Remember, Ethan's blood alcohol level was 3 x the 'legal' limit for an adult and he also tested positive for Valium. I doubt he could see well at all.

 

[K_Z]

Remember, Ethan's blood alcohol level was 3 x the 'legal' limit for an adult and he also positive for Valium. I doubt he could see well at all.

Actually, his BAC was a good deal higher than 0.24 at the time of the accident-- the 0.24 level was obtained 3 hours after the accident.

The fact that he could walk or function at all at that level is a testament to his regular usage of substances/ alcohol. He had a very high level of tolerance that can only be achieved by regular usage. (Even understanding that alcohol undergoes a different metabolic pathway than drugs like valium.)

This kid was a 16 year old polypharmacy addict at the time of the accident. By his own admission, in the last civil deposition, he had experience using marijuana, cocaine, valium, xanax, codeine, and ecstasy, in addition to alcohol. (And that's just what he ADMITTED to. There could be more.)