Affluenza?

[Political Junky]

Disgusting ... It's the worst defense since the "Twinkie" defense. <my comment
<
Last week, 16-year-old Ethan Couch was sentenced to 10-years probation for killing four people and critically wounding two while drunk driving. Although the prosecution sought prison time, the defense argued that Couch himself was a victim and presented psychologist G. Dick Miller to testify that Couch was suffering from “affluenza” —that he lived such an extravagant, materialistic, consequence-free life that he was unable to understand or control his behavior. This is perhaps the first time having too easy a life has been considered a mitigating circumstance. The sentencing has naturally inflamed people’s opinions.

Read more: "Affluenza" is Junk Science | TIME.com "Affluenza" is Junk Science | TIME.com

 

[RetiredGySgt]

The Judge should be recalled or fired.

 

[Vox]

it is disgusting.

the judge is RETIRING.

which leads to conclusion of the hefty bonus he got for this trial...

 

[Mr. H.]

The Judge should be recalled or fired.

...along with the prosecution team.

 

[waltky]

Ethan Couch now on most wanted list...

FBI, U.S. Marshals join search for 'affluenza' teen who killed 4 in drunken crash
Dec. 18, 2015 -- The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service joined the effort to find Ethan Couch, the so-called "affluenza" teen whose lawyers argued he shouldn't be punished for killing four people in a drunk-driving crash in Texas because his parents were wealthy.

Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said the help from the federal agencies will expand the search globally. Couch and his mother, Tonya, disappeared after the teen missed a planned meeting with his probation officer, about the same time a video was posted on Twitter showing him attending a game of beer pong. The terms of his probation order he avoid alcohol and drugs.

Anderson said the pair could have fled the United States because they have the money to finance such a trip. But, he said, the resources from federal investigators can help. "You can run, but you're always going to be looking over your shoulder," Anderson said. "We're not going to give up. We're going to come after you. We're going to find you, wherever you are."

Ethan Couch​

Couch was 16 when he ran down four people. Defense attorneys said Couch was the victim of "affluenza" because he was spoiled by his wealthy parents and never faced any consequences for his actions, growing up with a sense of entitlement and poor judgement. He received 10 years probation in the juvenile justice system, a sentence that has been criticized as too lenient.

Investigators have spoken to Couch's father Fred, but he has not provided details about his son's whereabouts. Fred and Tonya Couch do not live together. Prosecutors recently filed a motion to transfer his case to adult court after he turns 19 in April.

FBI, U.S. Marshals join search for 'affluenza' teen who killed 4 in drunken crash

 

[Gracie]

I hope they catch the little fuck and he gets some major jail time. The judge should be joining him, too.

 

[AvgGuyIA]

The boy is a result of liberal up-bringing. As long as the family votes girl Obama, they will be treated differently.

 

[strollingbones]

i guess reporting to po was too much for him......read: he was gonna fail that drug test....what idiots....

 

[dannyboys]

The LIB brat and his mother should be tossed from a plane at 20000 feet over the Atlantic ocean.

 

[Tilly]

The 'psychologist' is an extreme libtard.

 

[candycorn]

That's Texas for you. The case was that the mother never disciplined her kid---from the court transcripts.

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - punky lookin' brat, ain't he?...

Texas 'affluenza' teen taken into custody, official says
Mon Dec 28, 2015 - A Texas teen from a wealthy family, a fugitive after breaking his probation sentence for killing four people while driving drunk, has been taken into custody, a Tarrant County official said on Monday. CNN reported he had been taken into custody in Mexico.

Ethan Couch, 18, nicknamed the "affluenza" teen, was serving 10 years probation for intoxication manslaughter in the 2013 incident. He and his mother, Tonya Couch, 48, disappeared earlier this month, prompting officials in Tarrant County to place the teen on the county's most wanted list and issue a warrant for his apprehension. Couch became known as the "affluenza" teen during his trial, when a psychologist said he was so wealthy and spoiled he could not tell the difference between right and wrong.

Ethan Couch, 18, is shown in this handout photo provided by the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department in Fort Worth, Texas​

A Tarrant County official confirmed on Monday that Couch had been detained but declined to give further details. CNN, citing officials briefed on the matter, said Couch and his mother were located near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and said Couch would be turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service. Mexico's attorney general's office did not respond immediately to calls seeking information.

At age 16, Couch was speeding and had a blood-alcohol level of nearly three times the legal limit when he lost control of his pickup truck and fatally struck a stranded motorist on the side of the road and three Good Samaritans who had stopped to help. Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said last week it appeared Couch and his mother had fled the country and that the home they shared had been cleared of its contents. The teen's father was said to be cooperating with investigators.

Texas 'affluenza' teen taken into custody, official says

 

[waltky]

Awww, poor baby...

'Affluenza' teen caught, but will he get off easy?
Tue December 29, 2015 - Will Ethan Couch, the "affluenza" teen, get off lightly again?

Couch drew the ire of many after a judge sentenced the then 16-year-old to 10 years probation for a 2013 drunk driving crash that killed four people. Those who felt the sentence too lenient felt validated when Couch violated his probation and fled. He was detained Monday in Mexico. But if you are expecting a judge to throw the book at him, be warned that the book might not be too heavy. As of now, the most severe punishment Couch could face is 120 days in adult jail, Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson said at a press conference Tuesday.

The district attorney explained the dilemma she faces at a news conference Tuesday:

* Ethan Couch was sentenced as a juvenile and violated his probation as ordered by juvenile court system.
* Under Texas law, Couch, now 18, would be punished for his violation in the juvenile system.
* The maximum sentence that a juvenile judge can dish out for a violation of his juvenile probation is imprisonment in a juvenile facility until Couch turns 19, which is April 11, 2016.
* The DA wants to transfer Couch's sentence to adult court. But since this violation happened in the juvenile system, Couch effectively would start with a clean slate in the adult probation system. That is, the adult court judge could not punish Couch for violations he committed as a juvenile.
* At the time a judge reassesses Couch's probation in the adult system, he has the power to put Couch in adult jail for a maximum of 120 days.

The 120 days in jail won't please those who think Couch deserves worse, but as the facts stand now, it is what the law allows. If Couch ends up on adult probation, Wilson said, and violates it as an adult, he could face up to 40 years in jail. Couch could also find himself behind bars for longer if he is found to have committed any new crimes and is charged and convicted as an adult for those crimes. Couch and his mother, who were being sought by Texas authorities, have been detained in the Pacific resort town town of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Ethan Couch's mother, Tonya Couch, has been charged with hindering the apprehension of a juvenile, and if convicted, faces between 2 and 10 years in jail, Wilson said.

It's tough to explain the legal maze that stands to benefit Ethan Couch in the form of a light punishment for violating his probation. The judge who hears the case "will throw the book at him, but the book is only a few more months because he turns 19," said Larry Seidlin, a former state court and juvenile court judge in Florida. "So the legal issue is: Can the prosecutor move this case to adult court and try to get adult sanctions, get some state prison time. It's a close question because double jeopardy is going to take effect. We've already gone through his case. We've already done a plea bargain."

Tracking the teen

See also:

At most, affluenza teen Ethan Couch faces 120 days in jail and another chance, authorities say
December 29, 2015 - Ethan Couch fled the country while on probation for killing four people in a drunken driving crash, but the worst punishment the “affluenza” teen faces is four months in jail and another chance, authorities said Tuesday.

And you can blame state law for that, experts say. “He has not been held accountable yet,” Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said Tuesday, voicing his frustration at the system. “The tax money that we have spent [on him] is tremendous. We shouldn’t have spent this money in the first place.” Authorities across the U.S. and abroad started looking for Couch nearly three weeks ago, after he allegedly missed a check-in with his probation officer. He was already under investigation after a video claiming to show him at a party went viral.

A mug shot taken shortly after Ethan Couch’s arrest in Mexico shows he dyed his hair and beard.​

The 18-year-old and his mother, Tonya, were arrested Monday in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta, though officials declined to release any other details or say how the two were found. Tonya Couch, 48, is now charged with hindering apprehension of a criminal, a felony that carries two to 10 years in prison. U.S. and Mexican authorities are coordinating their return to Tarrant County, though it’s unclear when that will happen, officials said at a news conference Tuesday.

U.S. Marshal Rick Taylor described the work of local, federal and international authorities to track down the Couches as “nothing more than a textbook case” of collaboration. Anderson, the sheriff, said his deputies and federal authorities followed a “tremendous amount” of leads to track down the mother and son.

MORE

 

[Political Junky]

Awww, poor baby...

'Affluenza' teen caught, but will he get off easy?
Tue December 29, 2015 - Will Ethan Couch, the "affluenza" teen, get off lightly again?

Couch drew the ire of many after a judge sentenced the then 16-year-old to 10 years probation for a 2013 drunk driving crash that killed four people. Those who felt the sentence too lenient felt validated when Couch violated his probation and fled. He was detained Monday in Mexico. But if you are expecting a judge to throw the book at him, be warned that the book might not be too heavy. As of now, the most severe punishment Couch could face is 120 days in adult jail, Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson said at a press conference Tuesday.

The district attorney explained the dilemma she faces at a news conference Tuesday:

* Ethan Couch was sentenced as a juvenile and violated his probation as ordered by juvenile court system.
* Under Texas law, Couch, now 18, would be punished for his violation in the juvenile system.
* The maximum sentence that a juvenile judge can dish out for a violation of his juvenile probation is imprisonment in a juvenile facility until Couch turns 19, which is April 11, 2016.
* The DA wants to transfer Couch's sentence to adult court. But since this violation happened in the juvenile system, Couch effectively would start with a clean slate in the adult probation system. That is, the adult court judge could not punish Couch for violations he committed as a juvenile.
* At the time a judge reassesses Couch's probation in the adult system, he has the power to put Couch in adult jail for a maximum of 120 days.

The 120 days in jail won't please those who think Couch deserves worse, but as the facts stand now, it is what the law allows. If Couch ends up on adult probation, Wilson said, and violates it as an adult, he could face up to 40 years in jail. Couch could also find himself behind bars for longer if he is found to have committed any new crimes and is charged and convicted as an adult for those crimes. Couch and his mother, who were being sought by Texas authorities, have been detained in the Pacific resort town town of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Ethan Couch's mother, Tonya Couch, has been charged with hindering the apprehension of a juvenile, and if convicted, faces between 2 and 10 years in jail, Wilson said.

It's tough to explain the legal maze that stands to benefit Ethan Couch in the form of a light punishment for violating his probation. The judge who hears the case "will throw the book at him, but the book is only a few more months because he turns 19," said Larry Seidlin, a former state court and juvenile court judge in Florida. "So the legal issue is: Can the prosecutor move this case to adult court and try to get adult sanctions, get some state prison time. It's a close question because double jeopardy is going to take effect. We've already gone through his case. We've already done a plea bargain."

Tracking the teen

See also:

At most, affluenza teen Ethan Couch faces 120 days in jail and another chance, authorities say
December 29, 2015 - Ethan Couch fled the country while on probation for killing four people in a drunken driving crash, but the worst punishment the “affluenza” teen faces is four months in jail and another chance, authorities said Tuesday.

And you can blame state law for that, experts say. “He has not been held accountable yet,” Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said Tuesday, voicing his frustration at the system. “The tax money that we have spent [on him] is tremendous. We shouldn’t have spent this money in the first place.” Authorities across the U.S. and abroad started looking for Couch nearly three weeks ago, after he allegedly missed a check-in with his probation officer. He was already under investigation after a video claiming to show him at a party went viral.

A mug shot taken shortly after Ethan Couch’s arrest in Mexico shows he dyed his hair and beard.​

The 18-year-old and his mother, Tonya, were arrested Monday in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta, though officials declined to release any other details or say how the two were found. Tonya Couch, 48, is now charged with hindering apprehension of a criminal, a felony that carries two to 10 years in prison. U.S. and Mexican authorities are coordinating their return to Tarrant County, though it’s unclear when that will happen, officials said at a news conference Tuesday.

U.S. Marshal Rick Taylor described the work of local, federal and international authorities to track down the Couches as “nothing more than a textbook case” of collaboration. Anderson, the sheriff, said his deputies and federal authorities followed a “tremendous amount” of leads to track down the mother and son.

MORE

I suspect he'll get a lot more than that.

 

[blackhawk]

If idiocy was a crime both the mother and son would be serving life sentences.

 

[mdk]

If idiocy was a crime both the mother and son would be serving life sentences.

And this place would be a ghost town. lol

 

[strollingbones]

and i am willing to bet he wont do any real time for this.....they are prepping for that now with......he may stay in juvie....and then its only 4 months or so.....they have to move him to adult court and prove he was on the run....like there is a question of that....