INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

‘Affluenza Teen’ Ethan Couch To Finally Do Time In Prison, Celebrates 19th Birthday In Jail With Family

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 05:03 PST, Apr 15, 2016

It seems that luck finally ran out for Ethan Couch, now known worldwide as the “affluenza teen.” He isn’t feeling quite as entitled as he has in the past, when he dodged prison after driving drunk and drugged, killing and maiming several people, and then fleeing the country for fear a probation violation would catch up to him. Now Ethan Couch has been sentenced to spend almost two years in a Texas prison and will still remain on probation for 10 years. Couch just spent his 19th birthday in a Texas jail, his family by his side, and Couch will remain behind bars until he is nearly 21 when, ironically, he will finally be legal drinking age.

According to the Inquisitr, Ethan Couch has been ducking responsibility his entire life thanks to parents who provided no rules and too much money. After the deadly drunk driving accident caused by Couch, his attorney used the term “affluenza” to describe Ethan Couch’s level of entitlement and why he didn’t know right from wrong.

The Washington Post reported that though justice was delayed, Ethan Couch will finally spend some time in prison, but it still doesn’t feel like enough to those who lost loved ones in the drunk driving crash, where Couch was more than three times over the legal limit and under the legal drinking age.

The Couch family lawyer was able to keep the case in a juvenile court and used “affluenza” as an excuse for why Ethan Couch didn’t know right from wrong. Couch walked away with probation, but even that did not have an impact on the behavior of Ethan Couch. He continued drinking and partying, and when he got caught on video, his mother, Tonya Couch, took him on the run to Mexico to once again avoid punishment. But the law caught up with the Couch family, and now Ethan Couch has been punished in adult court, and his mother, Tonya Couch, is on house arrest.

The Dallas News reported that Ethan Couch will now spend nearly two years in a Texas prison, and then he will face stricter probation than he faced when he was in the juvenile system. Although Judge Wayne Salvant has not signed the official ruling, it sounds like Ethan Couch will be behind bars until 2018. But the judge did make a cryptic comment to the court.

“Nothing I do is in stone, so I might reconsider.”

But the judge did make it clear that once Couch is out, his probation will be very structured, and if rules are broken, he will be back behind bars.

“Upon his release, Couch won’t be able to drive, take drugs or consume alcohol. He will also need to seek employment and prove that he did to his probation officer.”

Fred Couch, the father of Ethan Couch, and Steven McWilliams, Ethan Couch’s half brother, were both in court to hear the judge’s decision. Tonya Couch, the mother of Ethan Couch, is on house arrest for her role in the flight to Mexico and was not allowed to come to court. For now, Ethan Couch is back in isolation, as there are other inmates who want to harm him. He spends 23 hours a day in a cell alone.

The Daily Mail spoke exclusively to Steven McWilliams, the half brother of Ethan Couch, about how the family celebrated the affluenza teen’s 19th birthday behind bars and what he thinks of the new sentence imposed upon Ethan Couch. McWilliams believes that the Couch family lawyers will be able to pull off another miracle and slash the affluenza teen’s time behind bars significantly, perhaps to just six months.

“It was a surprise but I think it will work out in our favor in the end.”

Steven McWilliams and his wife, Misty, visited Ethan Couch in prison on Monday for a somber celebration of his 19th birthday. They say they were not permitted to bring a cake or even a card, but they got to spend some time with him to mark the day of his birth. McWilliams says that the room where Ethan Couch is kept is about the size of his car, but he is kept there for his own safety.

“People are threatening him but I think there’s a lot worse people than him in the world. He gets letters in jail but it’s all people supporting him.”

The final order for Ethan Couch will be signed by the judge before the end of the month. For now, Couch will remain in the county jail in solitary confinement.

Do you think that Ethan Couch has finally gotten the punishment he deserves?

[Photo by LM Otero/AP Images]

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