Ethan Couch is the most wanted man in Texas, according to Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson — and probably in the United States. The 16 year old who got away with murders has now gotten away.
On December 2, a now-famous video showed the teenager at a party with drunk teens. He then failed to report to his probation officer because of the video and request for a urine sample.
A judge issued the juvenile equivalent of a warrant for Ethan Couch’s arrest on December 11. The U.S. Marshals Service is pursuing him and has offered a $5,000 reward. The FBI has joined the international man hunt. Hundreds of leads have poured in.
Ethan Couch became infamous when he plowed into a woman whose car hit a mailbox and three good Samaritans who stopped to help her. He tragically killed those four people and crippled my client, who suffered severe brain damage and will need round-the-clock care for the rest of his life.
During Couch’s trial, a defense expert said that Couch had been stricken with a case of “affluenza,” a made-up condition that resulted from having too much money and too little discipline. A judge sentenced him to 10 years probation with no jail. The world was outraged. Couch was ordered to not drink alcohol, use drugs, drive, and attend some rehab. But he blew off this lenient sentence.
His mother has also disappeared. She and Couch’s father have separated after a rocky marriage (and prior divorce) that led to their son’s horrific behavior. Their huge house in Lakeside near the father’s sheet metal business is empty. Photos of their truck have been distributed all over the world.
I was present during Couch’s trial to obtain evidence for the civil lawsuit I filed and was angered by the sentence. My client will be paralyzed for the rest of his life. He cannot speak and can only communicate by blinking. His devastated family will never have the opportunity to watch him graduate from high school or college and accomplish his dream of being a soccer player.
I am not surprised that a drunk driver who received a slap on the wrist would continue to flaunt the law. Hopefully Couch will be quickly apprehended, imprisoned,and stopped from continuing to make a mockery of the justice system.
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