‘Affluenza’ teen Ethan Couch moved to adult jail in Texas

Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson has said he supports moving Couch to an adult jail, given the severity of his offenses.

The Texan teenager who has been returned to the United States after allegedly fleeing to Mexico with his mother has been moved to an adult jail, records show.

Couch disappeared in December, almost two years into a 10-year probation stemming from the drunken-driving accident in which four people died.

Couch was ordered to the juvenile center after being deported from Mexico last month. If Couch were to violate his probation during that time, he could get up to 10 years in prison for each of the four people killed in the crash.

Prosecutors wanted Couch moved to an adult jail ahead of a hearing February 19 that will determine whether the case is transferred to the adult system, where Couch could face time behind bars.

A judge hasn’t decided if Couch, 18, will be prosecuted in adult or juvenile court for probation violation, Anderson said. If that happens, Couch could be eligible for release on bond, legal sources have said. He was in custody at an adult jail in Tarrant County, online records showed.

Couch is still under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and his case is still continuing under the original judge’s order, Anderson said.

If a juvenile judge rules that Couch didn’t violate terms of his probation, Couch would go free after the hearing and remain on probation until his sentence expires on his 19th birthday in April.

During the trial in the juvenile case, a defense witness argued that the then-16-year-old Couch had been coddled into a sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents.

Texas authorities launched an investigation and tried to contact Couch and his mother before revealing they had no idea where the pair were. His mother, Tonya Couch, was deported last month and is charged in Texas with hindering the apprehension of a felon.

The first of five court dates, during which a judge will check that Tonya Couch is abiding by the terms of her bond, has not been scheduled.

He dropped that appeal on Monday and his attorney, Scott Brown, hinted that Couch could have been taken to Mexico against his will.

Tonya Couch is now under house arrest at her oldest son’s home in Fort Worth.