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(this family is beyond sickening)
Before 'affluenza' case, teen's family tangled with the law
DALLAS (AP) Ethan Couch was behind the wheel of a pickup truck, reeking of booze when police confronted him. He had no driver's license. Next to him was a passed-out, half-naked girl, and an open vodka bottle lay on the backseat floor.
The Dollar General parking lot where months before a 2013 crash that killed four, police stopped a drunken Ehthan Couch with a half-naked girl and alcoholic beverages in Lakeside, Texas. Long before Ethan Couch and his family became notorious for using an affluenza defense in a deadly drunken driving crash, they had multiple run-ins with the law, each time flouting authority or relying on their wealth to get them out of trouble.
Still, as one officer reported, the skinny, blond 15-year-old mouthed off as they questioned him. He said he had taken pre-law classes and knew what police could and couldn't do to him. The officer cautioned him about the perils of drinking and driving, according to court records obtained by The Associated Press.
"I spoke with him at some length about the various consequences of his driving and drinking," wrote Fort Worth, Texas, police officer W.E. Spakes, "such as effects on (his) driver's license and his path in life, especially DWI and even killing someone in a DWI."
Couch left that night in February 2013 with two citations and his mother, Tonya, who was called to the scene. Four months later, he drove drunk into a group of people helping a stranded motorist, killing four.
Long before Couch and his family became notorious for using an "affluenza" defense in that crash, they had multiple run-ins with the law, often flouting authority or relying on personal wealth to get out of trouble. The incidents, totaling at least 20, ranged from speeding tickets and financial disputes to reckless driving and assault, a review of police and court records shows.
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http://www.mail.com/news/politics/4105702-affluenza-case-teens-family-tangled-with-law.html#.23140-stage-hero1-3