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Ethan Couch Is In Trouble Again

by Melissah Yang

After a highly publicized manhunt, "affluenza" teen Ethan Couch was caught in Mexico after skipping town for allegedly violating his probation, according to CNN. Couch, who, at 16, notoriously evaded jail time for killing four people while driving drunk, is better known by his informal moniker, a term that spawned out of his successful defense that he was too wealthy to understand the consequences of his actions. But what will happen to Couch now that he's been caught?

In 2013, Couch was sentenced to 10 years probation for four counts of intoxication manslaughter, and it's because he allegedly failed to report to his probation officer earlier this month that authorities were concerned the now 18-year-old might have skipped town. On Dec. 11, a judge issued a warrant for his arrest, and Couch was placed on the most wanted list for Tarrant County, Texas. Authorities also said that a video that allegedly showed him consuming alcohol, thus violating his probation, had surfaced and may have prompted him to run.

Now that Couch has been detained, along with his mother who initially was reported missing but believed to have been aiding him run, he is reportedly in Mexican custody and is expected to be handed over to the U.S. Marshals Service, CNN reports. When he was convicted in 2013, prosecutors said Couch could face up to 10 years in prison if he violated his probation. Though authorities were still sorting out whether Couch was actually drinking in the alleged video, there's little room for doubt that Couch violated his probation by running to Mexico.

Couch's story has been a wild one, and the most recent developments could spark new outrage over the teen's claim to suffer from affluenza. If the defense worked once, it could work again. Or perhaps you get one shot in the court of law to blame your wealth for your decisions.