FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – A Texas teenager who used an “affluenza” defense following a deadly drunken-driving wreck will appear in adult court facing the prospect of more jail time.
Ethan Couch will appear Wednesday before a Fort Worth judge who could order more jail time as part of the conditions of his adult probation. Prosecutors and court officials declined Tuesday to confirm the nature of the hearing.
Couch, who turned 19 on Monday, was given 10 years’ probation for a June 2013 wreck that killed four people and left two severely injured. The sentence outraged victims’ families and prosecutors.
Couch and his mother, Tonya, fled to Mexico in December after a video surfaced online appearing to show Couch at a party where alcohol was being served.
He’s been in Texas custody since January.