Summary: After receiving ten years of probation in juvenile court, affluenza teen Ethan Couch was given a nearly two year sentence in jail from adult court.
Nearly three years since the drunken driving crash that killed four people, the Texas teenager responsible for the accident has finally been sentenced to jail. Affluenza teen Ethan Couch turned 19 on Monday, sending the boy to adult court where he was handed a two year sentence.
Read The Drunk Driving Saga of Ethan Couch to learn more.
Prosecutors had initially said they would only seek several months of jail time but Couch received 180 days for each of the deaths. He will serve the sentences consecutively but it was not clear if the time Couch has already served in jail will be counted.
State District Judge Wayne Salvant said he would not rule on how much longer Couch would spend in jail but reconsidered after hearing arguments from prosecutors to extend his sentence from 120 days to 180 days for each count of intoxication manslaughter. Couch could have faced more jail time for violating his probation and fleeing to Mexico last year.
See Texas Police Search for Affluenza Teen Ethan Couch.
Salvant has issued a gag order on the case so details on the prosecutors’ strategy are unknown. They have indicated though that Couch may face decades in prison if he violates his probation again as an adult. Salvant has given both sides two weeks to file a response to the sentence, indicating that he may reconsider.
Couch was given ten years of probation in juvenile court, much to the outrage of those involved and the entire country. He had swerved into a crowd of people helping the driver of a disabled driver in his family’s pickup after drinking beer with friends that they had stolen from Wal-Mart. Investigators determined he was going 70 mph in a 40 mph zone. His blood-alcohol limit was three times the legal limit for adult drivers.
Read Legal Writ Keeps Affluenza Teen and Mom in Mexico.
Couch violated his probation after cellphone video surfaced of him drinking at a party. Drinking alcohol was a violation of his probation. Soon after, he fled with his mother to Mexico.
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-affluenza-ethan-couch-jail-20160413-story.html
Photo: nbcdfw.com