Large number of tips received on "affluenza" teen whereabouts
FORT WORTH, Texas - Tarrant County, Texas, Sheriff Dee Anderson said Monday that investigators are sorting through a growing pile of tips about the whereabouts of fugitive teen Ethan Couch, who was made famous when his lawyer told a court he suffered from "affluenza," reports CBS DFW.
Couch has not checked in with his probation officer in two weeks. He was sentenced to 10 years of probation in 2013, at age 16, for killing four people in a drunk driving car crash. His lawyer argued in court that he didn't understand consequences due to his parents' wealth -- a syndrome the lawyer called "affluenza."
Police have also added Couch's mother, Tonya, to a national police database notifying officers she is a missing person.
"On the missing person (list) it says she's possibly accompanying a fugitive," Anderson said.
The Tarrant County district attorney is asking the state to move Couch's case from juvenile court to adult criminal court before Couch turns 19 in April.
"A juvenile who violates his probation can be revoked and he can be sent to the juvenile detention facility until he's 19," District Attorney Sharen Wilson said. "This defendant, Ethan couch, turns 19 in April. Being locked up in a juvenile detention facility for four months does not seem like much punishment to me."
Defense attorney Jerry Loftin, who does not represent Couch, told CBS DFW that an adult criminal court judge will have more power to punish Couch, including revoking probation and sending Couch to prison.
Loftin expects a harsh punishment.
"The higher the profile the case the more likely the guillotine is dropping," Loftin said.