Ethan Couch’s court case drew national headlines when he was convicted of four counts of intoxication manslaughter and received a sentence of 10 years on probation. He ran into a car that was on the side of the road, killing four people and seriously injuring two passengers in his own truck. The judge decided to forego prison after a psychologist testified the teen suffered from "affluenza" because his parents were so wealthy and he’d never suffered any consequences from his actions.
In early December 2015, a video was shared on Twitter that showed the teen apparently engaged in “beer pong”—a popular drinking game amongst teens and college students. Police and prosecutors have been investigating the video because if it turns out he was drinking again, it would be a clear violation of his probation and he’d most certainly be headed to prison.
Now it appears Ethan Couch and his mother, Tonya Couch, aren’t in contact with his probation officer:
A warrant has been issued for the teenager whose “affluenza” defense spared him jail time in the deaths of four people he ran over while driving drunk.
A juvenile probation officer has been unable to reach Ethan Couch and his mother for several days, attorneys Reagan Wynn and Scott Brown said in a written statement about their client.
“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,” the defense lawyers said.
In addition to the 10-year prison sentence Ethan may now be facing (prosecutors were initially seeking a 20-year sentence), he may get a change of venue when he does get to court:
The judge is expected to rule on a request from the district attorney’s office to move the case from the juvenile court to an adult court after Couch’s 19th birthday in April, a shift that could affect how the latest allegations play out.
Twitter user @blondespectre posted the video that started the latest investigation. He tagged the city and prosecutor in the video to make sure it was seen by authorities. Watch Ethan Couch apparently living it up as the life of the party:
ya boy ethan couch violating probation. i got more if u want @CityofBurleson @TarrantCountyDA pic.twitter.com/...
— h (@BlondeSpectre) December 2, 2015