Judge Recommends 720 Days In Jail For Ethan Couch, “Affluenza” Teen
In 2013, Ethan Couch was behind the wheel of a pickup truck in a drunk-driving accident that left four victims either dead or severely injured. Only 16 at the time, Couch, was tried as a juvenile, received 10 years probation following the crash and was ordered to avoid places where drugs and alcohol were present.
Now that Couch has turned 19 and no longer can be considered a juvenile in the state of Texas, a judge has sentenced him t0 720 days in jail – 180 days for each of the victims.
According to CNN, Couch being sentenced to jail time once he was legally an adult was always a possibility. But after a picture of him at a party where alcohol was being served surfaced online, authorities had to intervene.
Couch’s case became something worthy of national headlines when a psychiatrist testified that he was a product of “affluenza,” which boils down to him not having a sense of responsibility after being raised by wealthy parents. Coincidentally, Couch was recently tracked down in Mexico with his mother, as the two attempted to flee from a probation hearing that could’ve seen the teen serve jail time.
State District Judge Wayne Salvant, the judge who sentenced Couch to the 720 days, said that he’s willing to allow the teen’s attorneys to offer a case for a lesser sentence in the future when the case reconvenes in two weeks, according to NBC News.
Photo Courtesy: Twitter