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Texas 'affluenza' teenager Ethan Couch detained after going missing Texas ‘affluenza’ teen who killed four detained in Mexico after disappearance
(about 9 hours later)
A Texas teenager on the run after allegedly breaking his probation sentence for killing four people while driving drunk has been taken into custody in Mexico. Authorities said on Monday a Texas teenager serving probation for killing four people in a drunken-driving wreck after invoking an “affluenza” defense was in custody in Mexico, weeks after he and his mother disappeared.
Related: FBI and US marshals join Texas police in hunt for missing 'affluenza teen'Related: FBI and US marshals join Texas police in hunt for missing 'affluenza teen'
Ethan Couch, 18, was sentenced to probation two years ago in a juvenile court for intoxication manslaughter and was wanted in Tarrant county, Texas. He and his mother, Tonya Couch, 48, went missing earlier this month. Mexico’s Jalisco state prosecutors’ office said in a statement that its agents had been working with American authorities via the US consulate in Guadalajara since 26 December to track down and capture 18-year-old Ethan Couch and his mother, Tonya Couch. The office said the two were located and detained on Monday evening in a beachside neighborhood of the Pacific Coast resort city of Puerto Vallarta.
A Tarrant county official confirmed on Monday night that Couch had been taken into custody near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico but would not give further details. After their detention, they were handed to Mexican immigration authorities for deportation, the statement said.
CNN, citing officials briefed on the matter, said Couch and his mother would be turned over to the US marshals service by the Mexican authorities. During the sentencing phase of Couch’s trial, a defense expert argued that Couch’s wealthy parents coddled him into a sense of irresponsibility – a condition the expert termed “affluenza”. The condition is not recognized as a medical diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association, and its invocation drew widespread ridicule.
The Mexican attorney general’s office did not respond immediately to calls seeking information. The Tarrant County district attorney’s office also told local media outlets that the two had been taken into custody. A spokeswoman for the office could not immediately be reached for further comment.
The “affluenza” nickname for Couch came from a psychologist who said during Couch’s trial that he was so wealthy and spoiled he could not tell the difference between right and wrong. Authorities began searching for the pair after Ethan Couch failed to keep a mandatory appointment with his probation officer on 10 December, leading authorities to issue the juvenile equivalent of an arrest warrant for him.
Couch, from Keller, near Fort Worth, admitted four counts of intoxication manslaughter in 2013. He was speeding when he lost control of his pick-up truck, swerved off a suburban road and ploughed at up to 70mph into a group of people who were helping Breanna Mitchell, whose car had broken down. Tarrant County sheriff Dee Anderson has said he believes the two fled in late November after a video surfaced that appears to show Couch at a party where people were drinking. If found to be drinking, Couch’s probation could be revoked and he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
Mitchell, a youth pastor named Brian Jennings, Hollie Boyles, and her daughter, Shelby, were killed. A spokesman for the Tarrant County sheriff’s department has declined to say whether Tonya Couch was facing any charges.
Tarrant county sheriff Dee Anderson said last week it appeared Couch and his mother had fled the country and that the home they shared had been cleared of its contents. The teen’s father was said to be cooperating with investigators. There was no immediate comment Monday night from the US Marshals Service, which had issued a wanted poster promising a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Ethan Couch’s whereabouts and capture.
Police had checked reports that Couch had left the United States after a video emerged showing him at a party where alcohol was being served in a likely violation of his probation. US marshals had offered a $5,000 reward in exchange for his whereabouts. In June 2013 at age 16, Ethan Couch was driving drunk and speeding on a dark two-lane road south of Fort Worth when he crashed into a disabled SUV off to the side, killing four people and injuring several others, including passengers in Couch’s pickup truck.
Couch pleaded guilty to four counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault causing serious bodily injury. Because of his age, he wasn’t certified as an adult for trial and a judge sentenced him in juvenile court to 10 years’ probation and a stint in a rehabilitation center.
Anderson was among those critical of the judge’s decision not to incarcerate Couch. The sheriff said that the teen has never expressed remorse for his actions and that his case sparked more outrage than any other Anderson has encountered in his law enforcement career.