Ethan Couch remains held in a Mexican jail, awaiting return to the U.S. where he faces charges of violating his parole. But that hasn't stopped the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in its quest for justice.
The anti-drunk driving nonprofit has launched a petition asking that Couch's case be moved to adult court ahead of his scheduled January 19th hearing.
The organization is hopeful that by garnering 30,000 signatures before a January 19th hearing, prosecutors will be compelled to seek to elevate Couch's case to adult court, which carries far stiffer penalties.
Help us #FightAffluenza-Sign the petition to have #EthanCouch transferred to adult court https://t.co/XoCvt9oCoI Enough is enough. Please RT— MADD (@MADDOnline) January 11, 2016
In a press release, MADD National President Colleen Sheehey-Church, said, “Couch has been found, and everything possible must be done to hold him accountable and to ensure that Couch has no more victims... Couch is not a child. His actions are not that of a child. Four people were killed and several injured, and Couch continues to show no remorse and blatant disregard for the law.”
Couch, now 18, was 16 years old at the time of his accident, during which, under the influence of alcohol, Valium and marijuana, he crashed his pick-up truck — which he was driving at 70 miles per hour — into a disabled car parked on the side of the road. Four people working on the car were killed. Two passengers riding in Couch's truck were critically injured.
Our system has crashed due to the enormous amount of people trying to log on & sign this petition, check back soon https://t.co/DoAHTwVbKE— MADD (@MADDOnline) January 11, 2016
During Couch's trial, Dr. G. Dick Miller testified on Couch's behalf saying that Couch -- 16 at the time -- suffered from "affluenza," which he defined as an inability to tell right from wrong due to his upbringing in an affluent family.
He was ultimately sentenced to rehab and probation, avoiding jail.
In December, video appeared on social media showing Couch drinking alcohol in clear violation of his parole. He and his mother disappeared soon afterwards and were later arrested while on the run in Mexico.
Even before this latest development, though, Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson had filed a request to move Couch's case from juvenile to adult court in November.
If Wilson -- and, by extension, MADD -- is successful in getting Couch's case moved to adult court, he could face up to 120 days in jail for violating his previous probation.
More seriously, if he were to violate it a second time, he would face up to 40 years in jail.