Arrest warrant issued after "affluenza" teen goes missing

[groundloop]

Source: CBS News

A juvenile-court equivalent of an arrest warrant has been issued for a teenager who killed four people in a 2013 drunken-driving wreck near Fort Worth, then claimed as part of his defense that he suffered from "affluenza."

Ethan Couch's attorneys told CBS DFW that a judge has issued "a directive to apprehend" Couch after a juvenile probation officer was unable to contact 19-year-old Couch or his mother, with whom he was living. Multiple agencies are now searching for the teen, the station reports.

Couch was 16 when he drunkenly rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of people, killing four. Two years ago, he was given 10 years' probation after his attorneys asserted Couch's wealthy parents coddled him into irresponsibility, drawing national controversy. Prosecutors wanted a maximum sentence of 20 years in state custody.

Couch missed a mandatory meeting with his Tarrant County juvenile probation officer last week, reports CBS DFW. Law enforcement went to the home where he last lived with his mother near Eagle Mountain Lake, northwest of Fort Worth, but couldn't find them - officials told the station the rental property was empty of belongings, possibly indicating a plan to leave........


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/arrest-warrant-issued-after-affluenza-teen-ethan-couch-goes-missing/

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The article went on to say that a social media video showed this kid playing beer-pong with his buds, which was an obvious parole violation.

Geeze I feel so sorry for the kids that are forced to grow up rich and spoiled. We all should just bend over backwards to make sure that their every need is met, and to protect them from the problems they cause.

[Blue_Adept]

1. The wrinkle with his mother missing as well is interesting

Is she doing something to protect him? The father saying that he has no idea where either are is interseting a well.

[groundloop]

4. It certainly sounds like the mother needs some time behind bars as well

[George II]

2. Maybe he's got the "bug" again? No doubt their expensive lawyers will come up with an excuse.

[libdem4life]

3. Shocking! Not.

[perdita9]

5. Somewhere in Fort Worth there's a Judge who needs to be disbarred

And the sooner the better

[MADem]

6. A kid just like that killed a relative of mine with his sports car.

Took two years to get any justice. He got ninety days in jail, five years of probation, and mandatory 15 year loss of driving license. He got a massive amount of community service, too--it'll take him awhile to get through that. He wasn't in jail a week before he was asking for parole. Couldn't believe it. The parole board took him to church and told him to get his ass back to jail. Guess he'll think twice before listening to jailhouse lawyers in future. He didn't want to spend Thanksgiving and Xmas and New Year's behind bars--didn't want the family to enjoy those Pats tickets without him, or take their ski holiday while he was in lockup. Jerk.

He (or should I say his daddy) must have spent tens of thousands of dollars on his defense. We were in court every month or two, watching the can get kicked down the road over this technicality or that. I'm now familiar with a couple of courthouses I never thought I'd have to visit....AND I have actually gone to a parole hearing (and they're nothing like the movies).

He was hung out to dry by a half dozen witnesses who saw what he did in broad daylight. Even at that, it was the longest slog I have endured. It changed my family, that experience. The justice system did what they could, and the jury came back QUICK--the defendant took the stand and lied his ass off, and it was obvious. I still don't think he's "gotten" it yet---but if he screws up, he goes to jail for two and a half years (that is the max in MA for vehicular homicide w/o booze--even though he was drinking, he was under the limit by the time they stuck a needle in the bum).

[ejbr]

17. Condolences

[MADem]

31. Thank you nt

[restorefreedom]

21. sympathies to you and your family. nt

[MADem]

32. Much appreciated. nt

[bluestateguy]

23. What an awful story

I'm so sorry.

But Eric Garner gets choked to death for selling cigarettes on the street!

[MADem]

30. People can be assholes. Kids in cars, police with guns. It's a crying shame all around. nt

[PersonNumber503602]

7. Eagle Mountain Lake, huh? I around there, I wonder if I ever saw that little prick and didn't know

For some reason I thought him and his shitty family were from Houston. Anyway, I become enraged whenever I hear about these sociopaths and the corrupt judge that let him off so lightly.

[2naSalit]

8. A true case of

nextgen truptydumpty.

Geez, I hope the "good" aliens hurry up and get here to clean up our species.

[dembotoz]

9. tho i must admit i was happy my kid was white when he got off with a wrist slap for possession of a

small amount of weed

things would not have been so cool if he were black and in the city from what i hear.....

so when i decry the rich kids treatment i also blush a bit

[deutsey]

10. There's certainly an epidemic of affluenza among some quarters in this country

This asshole's definitely not alone, unfortunately.

[Stargazer99]

11. HOw much you want to bet they are out of the US

and father not knowing where they are is a bunch of crap....really they expect us to believe that!

[Person 2713]

26. It's the holidays I am sure they needed to travel to resorts in sunnier spaces

or perhaps are skiing somewhere

[staggerleem]

12. Maybe when a 19 year-old ...

... violates the probation he was placed on from an incident when he WAS a juvenile, he should no longer be treated as a juvenile.

[groundloop]

13. Nope... not his fault.... it's all because his parents are rich

(just in case)

[giftedgirl77]

28. He's supposed to transfer to adult supervision in a couple

of months when he turns 19. I read that on rawstory. Fwiw.

[charlyvi]

14. Affluenza my ass......

This kid is sociopathic.

[DFW]

15. "possibly indicating a plan to leave" WTF??????

"officials told the station the rental property was empty of belongings,"

That is a POSSIBLE INDICATION of plans to leave? What might have confirmed it, taking the plumbing fixtures as well?

[christx30]

19. Maybe they are just out

getting everything cleaned?

[Fla Dem]

16. Still coddling him evidently. nt

[7962]

18. Damn kid should've been in jail from the START.

That whole case was ridiculous

[bluestateguy]

20. Probably skiiing the Swiss Alps by now

The whole concept of "Affluenza" is just another example of overly intellectualized psychobabble, and an example of what happens when you try overcomplexify and overanalyze what is really just plain old common sense, right and wrong stuff.

[JoeyT]

27. I think affluenza is definitely a real thing.

I mean, if you grow up thinking nothing has consequences of any sort...you're going to think nothing has consequences of any sort.

The problem is in how we address it. The legal system shouldn't be reinforcing that. It should have thrown the book at the dumbass as a warning to other rich kids. "Daddy's money can't protect you from the consequences of your actions out here, kid." should have been the message.

[restorefreedom]

22. no doubt in switzerland or the italian alps

this psycho will get away with it

[bluestateguy]

24. Yap

Somehow I doubt so-called law enforcement in Texas ever bothered to confiscate his passport.

[restorefreedom]

25. oh, i see you posted that too!

skiing for sure..

and yes, confiscating passport would just mean more work. this way its out of their hands

cynical, i know....

[mahatmakanejeeves]

33. Who can confiscate a passport?

Serious question.

A US passport is the property of the US government, right? Can local law enforcement confiscate one, or do they ask the feds to confiscate it for them?

Thanks.

[alcibiades_mystery]

35. County level judges can require that you surrender your passport as a condition of bail

It's unlikely you'd be required to do so as a condition of probation.

[YOHABLO]

29. Exemplifies our 2 tiered judicial system in this country. The poor get locked up, the Rich slide.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

34. Who was that kid, about ten years ago, who went missing for years

to avoid prosecution? He spent his time skiing in the Alps. Someone finally noticed him.

I don't mean the one from Montgomery County, Maryland, who was hustled off to Israel by his father.

That was before so many people had smartphones with cameras. I can't believe Ethan Couch can stay out of sight for long.

Well, wouldn't you know it? Google knew just who I meant:

Alex Kelly (rapist)

Before his trial was due to begin in 1987, Kelly fled the United States and spent the next seven years on the run, mostly in Europe. Kelly's parents allegedly supported him financially during this seven-year period, although they may have been unaware of his exact locations. Law enforcement authorities suspected that the parents had been in contact with their son and, on at least one occasion, raided the parents' house in an attempt to find evidence of Kelly's location or their assistance to him.

In 1995, the Connecticut State Police discovered photos in the Kelly home of Alex with his parents in Europe the previous year. Though his parents claimed to have no knowledge of his whereabouts, the photos told a different story and they were to be charged with obstruction. Kelly surrendered to authorities in Switzerland after learning of the charges of obstruction pending against his parents. He was extradited from Switzerland to the United States in order to stand trial on rape and kidnapping charges. Several lesser counts were excluded, as they were not specifically listed in the extradition treaty between the two nations. While out on bail, Kelly was allowed by the court to take classes at Norwalk Community College. Kelly faced two trials in 1997. After the first was declared a mistrial, the second resulted in his conviction for the first rape and a sentence of 17 years in prison. He pleaded no contest to the second rape and was sentenced to an additional 10 years in prison (sentence to run concurrently with the 17-year sentence).