BRAT IS LET OUT OF HIS CAGE
4 deaths = 2 years for 'affluenza teen'
The “affluenza teen” who drunkenly killed four people in a Texas crash five years ago was sprung from prison Monday after serving fewer than two years.
Ethan Couch — who infamously argued at his 2013 manslaughter trial that his wealthy upbringing impaired his ability to tell right from wrong — wore a black hoodie and goatee as he walked out of the Tarrant County jail and hopped into a black Tesla that then drove off. He refused to comment.
“From the beginning, Ethan has admitted his conduct, accepted responsibility for his actions, and felt true remorse for the terrible consequences of those actions,” Couch’s lawyers, Scott Brown and Reagan Wynn, said in a statement.
“Now, nearly five years after this horrific event, Ethan does not wish to draw attention to himself and requests privacy so he may focus on successfully completing his community supervision and going forward as a law-abiding citizen.”
Released days before his 21st birthday, Couch will be under strict probation supervision, the county sheriff ’s office said.
He is required to a wear an ankle monitor and a patch that detects alcohol, as well as submit to drug testing and abide by a 9 p.m. curfew, according to the Dallas Morning News.
He also will have a video-equipped interlock ignition device installed in his vehicle so that he can’t start it without passing a Breathalyzer test.
Couch, then 16, had a bloodalcohol level three times the legal limit when he fatally struck four people with his pickup truck in Burleson on June 15, 2013. One of his passengers was left paraplegic.
A psychologist testifying on his behalf claimed the teen suffered from “affluenza,” which made him incapable of fully accepting responsibility.
Couch pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years’ probation, sparking outrage.
But he ended up behind bars after he was caught playing beer pong in a 2015 video in violation of his probation. A judge ordered him to serve the 720 days in jail — 180 days for each of his victims.
Mothers Against Drunk Drivers blasted Couch’s release as a “grave injustice.”
“The 720 days Ethan Couch served for his crimes shows that drunk-driving homicides still aren’t treated as the violent crimes that they are,” the organization said
It also vowed to keep a close eye on him.
“We will be watching, because this case brought to light that there is so much more work to be done to hold drunk drivers accountable,” the group said.
Couch’s mom, Tonya, 50 — who was free on bond while awaiting trial on charges she helped Ethan flee to Mexico — was arrested last week for violating conditions of the bond.
Court documents showed she failed a drug test, according to the Morning News.