Taxpayers picked up most of the tab for 'Affluenza teen' Ethan Couch's rehab

Ethan Couch, then 16, avoided a jail sentence for killing four people in Texas with his truck because a judge agreed that he was so spoiled by his wealthy parents he didn't know it was wrong to drink and drive — a condition a psychologist in court called "affluenza." But on Tuesday, a day before Couch appears in court to likely hear the terms of his adult probation, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Couch's parents were deemed "financially unable to pay" for most of Couch's court-ordered rehabilitation treatment, so taxpayers footed more than $150,000 of the $200,000 bill.

Couch, who turned 19 on Monday, has been housed at Tarrant County maximum-security prison since Feb. 5, when a judge in Fort Worth ordered him transferred from juvenile detention. He and his mother, Tonya Couch, fled to Mexico after a video surfaced that appeared to show Ethan Couch violating the terms of his probation, and he was extradited from Mexico in January.

The purpose of Wednesday's appearance before State District Judge Wayne Salvant is unknown, because Salvant slapped a gag order on the case, but it is expected Couch will hear whether he will spend up to the next 120 days in jail. After a possible four months in jail, Couch is expected to serve the rest of his 10 years' probation outside of prison. If he is found to violate his probation, he could get up to 10 years in jail for each of the four people he killed.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up