'Affluenza' Teen Ethan Couch Turns 19, Has New Date With A Judge
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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - 'Affluenza' teen Ethan Couch will be appearing before judge Wayne Salvant Wednesday morning to officially have his case transferred to adult court.
On Monday, Couch turned 19-years-old.
If the case were not transferred, that birthday would have marked the end of his court dealings for killing four people in a 2013 drunk driving accident.
Couch angered many when he pleaded guilty to the wreck, then got out of a stiff penalty by claiming his spoiled upbringing were the reason he didn't appreciate right from wrong...'Affluenza' is how it was phrased.
A judge bought it and sentenced Couch to 10-years probation as a juvenile. Then, after a video surfaced showing an underage Couch at a party around alcohol, he skipped a probation department appointment and fled to Mexico with his mother Tonya Couch.
Ethan was eventually arrested, deported and now Tarrant County authorities want the probation moved to adult court where he could face 10-years in prison for each victim of his deadly drunk driving incident - if he messes up again.
Couch has been held in a maximum-security county jail for nearly a month, in solitary confinement for 23 hours per day. Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson, who has described him as "passive" and "compliant," has said that solitary confinement is for his safety.
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