'Affluenza teen' Ethan Couch could be released from jail in April
Records show affluenza teen Ethan Couch will soon be released from jail in a matter of weeks.
Couch is set to get out of Tarrant County jail on April 2, just days before his 21st birthday. But he still has several more years left on his probation. Violating any of those terms could put him in prison.
The infamous teen was sentenced to 720 days in jail in April 2016 – 180 days for each of the four people he killed in a summer 2013 drunken driving crash. Couch was 16 years old at the time of the deadly crash.
Couch avoided jail time initially after his lawyer presented the now-notorious affluenza defense in a juvenile court, claiming that Couch had a lowered sense of responsibility due to his wealth and absentee parents.
But Couch wound up being jailed after violating his probation and fleeing to Mexico in late 2015 with his mother, Tonya, shortly after video surfaced of him at a party where alcohol was being consumed by other teens.
Couch’s probation continues through February 2024. If it's revoked for any reason, he could get up to 40 years in prison for the four deaths.
Attorney Trent Loftin is not associated with the case, but he has followed it closely.
"If he does not satisfy those conditions, the DA can file a motion to revoke and a judge could easily sentence him to prison,” he said. "He will be under a microscope with the probation department, with the DA office, with the court and with the public as well. So he's got a tough road ahead."
Some of the terms of probation for Couch are that he must attend a DWI education class, he cannot possess or consume drugs or alcohol, and he must have a job. It’s not known if or what type of supervision Couch would be under after his release from jail.