Remember "affluenza" teen Ethan Couch? Did you know that the car crash that
put him in the headlines was far from the only legal run-in his family has
had? Keep watching for his parent's full history of trouble with the law.
In 2013, 16-year-old Ethan Couch was driving under the influence in the Fort Worth, Texas,
suburbs when he caused a crash that killed four pedestrians and injured nine other people,
according to the Cleburne Times-Review. The teen faced serious criminal charges,
including four counts of intoxication manslaughter.
Ethan's legal team came up with a novel and shocking defense:
They claimed that the teen was so coddled by his wealthy parents that he was effectively
raised without boundaries or a sense of personal responsibility. The lawyers called
it "affluenza," a blending of the words "affluence" and "influenza." Shockingly,
the judge bought it: Ethan was sentenced to probation instead of jail time.
"His attorney was arguing that he was the product of an affluent but totally dysfunctional home."
Years before the fatal wreck that made him infamous, it was already apparent that Ethan's
parents were not particularly interested in consequences. For example, as CNN reported,
when he was 13, Ethan was caught driving himself to his private school. When questioned about this
by the school principal, Ethan's father, Fred Couch, purportedly threatened to buy the school.
Ethan's first real brush with the law would come a couple of years later when, according to WDAF,
he was found passed out in a pickup truck with an undressed, 14-year-old girl inside. He was
sentenced to probation, alcohol awareness classes, and 12 hours of community service.
Meanwhile, Ethan's home life apparently was quite toxic. The Chicago Tribune reported that Tonya,
Ethan's mother, alleged that Fred was physically and emotionally
abusive toward her, and the couple split in 2006.
Fred Couch, made a fortune in business. The Chicago Tribune reports that in 1986,
he founded Cleburne Metal Works, which installs metal roofing. As of 2015,
it employed 40 people and made an estimated $9.59 million in annual sales.
According to a 2013 Daily Mail report, Fred racked up a list of 22 criminal offenses,
18 vehicle infractions and four misdemeanors. His rap sheet includes driving 95 mph in a 60
mph zone, writing a bad check, evading arrest, and assault against his wife. Though he paid
fines here and there, he never served a day in jail. An employee at the Johnson
County court records office quipped that Fred "must have a very good attorney."
In 2014, KDFW reported that police responded to a disturbance. They found Fred Couch at the scene,
where he told officers he was a "reserve officer" and had "police stuff" in his car;
he also flashed a badge. Fred was never a police officer in any jurisdiction,
and he was charged with impersonating a police officer.
As recently as 2019, Fred Couch was still getting into trouble with the law. According to KXAS,
he was accused of choking his girlfriend. A grand jury declined to levy charges.
In 2003, according to the New York Daily News, Tonya Couch pleaded guilty to reckless driving
after running another motorist off the road. And in early 2015, she was charged with leaving the
scene of an accident after causing a minor wreck. Prosecutors dismissed the charges.
In November 2015, when Ethan was serving his probation for the fatal car crash,
video emerged showing him drinking at a party. Authorities wanted to talk to him
about the video, as that would have been a violation of his parole. He
missed a parole appointment, and he became a wanted man.
"For Ethan and his mother, you can run but you're
always going to be looking over your shoulder. We're not going to give up."
Talking Points Memo reported that Ethan, with the help of his mother, had fled to Puerto Vallarta,
Mexico, though they were later caught and extradited to the U.S. Ethan was, for the
first time in his life, put inside a jail cell, while Tonya was charged with money laundering.
As recently as April 2022, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Tonya is still trying to
fight the money-laundering charges for helping Ethan escape to Mexico. A 2016 Dallas Observer
report suggested she was broke, although the true status of her bank account was unclear.
As for Ethan, in January 2022, Radar Online
reported that a documentary about him was in the works.
Ethan actually appears to have kept mostly his nose clean since his
2018 release from jail. That said, January 2022, according to The Dallas Morning News,
he was jailed again for violating parole after he tested positive for THC, but he
was later released after the accuracy of the test was called into question.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse,
you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233.
You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.