The name “Ethan Couch” may have faded from the memory. Couch, 19, was the drunken Texas teen who killed four people while driving in 2013. His case sparked a new phrase “Affluenza” to describe “white privilege” for Couch. The defense team stated that Couch’s parents were so rich that they gave him everything he wanted and because of their wealth, no limits were ever set. Therefore, Couch was not fully aware that actions can sometimes have tragic consequences. Surprisingly, the judge agreed and said that because of his upbringing he was not responsible for his actions. So when sentencing time came around, that same judge gave him 10 years probation and sent him to rehab. His parents were ordered to pay the bill of an estimated $1,200 per day facility. That was in 2014 and Couch was released from the facility and is currently under probation. Under the conditions of his probation, he must refrain from drugs and alcohol and will not be allowed to drive.
Now an arrest warrant has been issued for Couch because of a game of “beer pong.” A video was posted to Twitter in early December that shows Couch drinking beer. This is a direct violation of his probation that could send Couch to prison. The rowdy video shows Couch knocking over the “beer pong” table while laughing hysterically. Since then, the video was given to the police and an investigation was launched into whether a probation violation had taken place. Couch has missed a meeting with his probation officer and police have been unable to reach Couch or his mother. Couch’s attorneys Regan Wynn and Scott Brown said in a statement, “We have recently learned that for the last several days the juvenile probation officer has been unable to make contact with Ethan or his mother, with whom he’s been residing. It’s our understanding that the court has issued a directive to apprehend to have Ethan detained because he is out of contact with his probation officer.”
It is interesting to note that Texas District Court Judge Jean Boyd sentenced an unnamed Black Fort Worth teen, age 14, to 10 years in prison for punching a 40-year-old man. In that case as reported by rolling out, the 14-year-old Fort Worth teen was sentenced to 10 years by Judge Boyd for killing a stranger with a single unprovoked punch: “The teen will begin serving his sentence at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department where he will undergo rehabilitation programs. The teen could remain until his 19th birthday in TJJD, which is basically the prison for juveniles, but if he makes progress, department officials could recommend he be paroled back to the community. Prior to his 19th birthday, if he hasn’t worked the program, department officials could ask the judge to transfer him to an adult prison to serve the remainder of his sentence. A statement from the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office says the boy and two friends hopped out of a car that night when they saw Gregory walking. The punch knocked the 106-pound Gregory down and he hit his head on the pavement. He died two days later.”
While one Black teen gets 10 years for one death, Ethan Couch walked free and is now a wanted man in the death of four.
