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'Affluenza teen' Ethan Couch fails drug test. arrested for parole violation

Posted at 11:19 AM, Jan 03, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-03 13:19:40-05

A Texas man who used "affluenza" as a defense at his trial for killing four people while driving drunk was arrested Thursday for a probation violation.

Court records show 22-year-old Ethan Couch was booked into a jail in Fort Worth after he tested positive for the psychoactive compound in marijuana.

Couch's attorneys said their client hasn't tested positive for any substance in more than 20 months of intense monitoring. Jail records do not indicate that he has a bond.

Couch became known as the "affluenza teen" after a psychologist at his trial said his actions in the 2013 crash were caused by "affluenza," or irresponsibility due to family wealth.

In 2015, images shared on social media showed Couch playing beer pong at a party. Because drinking alcohol was a violation of his parole, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. At that point, Couch and his mother fled the country and were later found in Mexico. Couch was later deported back to the United States, where he was sentenced to consecutives sentences of 180 days.

He was released from prison in 2018.