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Dad of affluenza teen guilty of falsely identifying himself as officer
Northeast Tarrant December 14, 2016 1:36 PM
Dad of ‘affluenza’ teen guilty of falsely identifying himself as officer
The father of the “affluenza teen” went on trial this week in Fort Worth, charged with false identication as a peace officer. Domingo Ramirez Jr. - ramirez@star-telegram.com
By Domingo Ramirez Jr.
ramirez@star-telegram.com
Domingo Ramirez Jr.: 817-390-7763, @mingoramirezjr
FORT WORTH — A Tarrant County jury on Wednesday found the father of “affluenza” teen Ethan Couch guilty of a misdemeanor charge of false identification as a peace officer in a 2014 case that involved the North Richland Hills police. ... Fred Couch, 51, was sentenced to 120 days in jail and 100 hours of community service but was given a year’s probation instead of jail time, according to Tarrant County court records.
Couch had pleaded not guilty to the charge Tuesday, the first day of testimony in his trial. ... The jury of four men and two women deliberated an hour and a half before reaching their decision in County Criminal Court No. 4. ... In closing arguments Wednesday morning, defense attorney Scott Brown of Fort Worth told the jury that Couch, who carried a badge with the words “search and rescue” and “Lakeside police” on it, never asserted authority with it. Couch was a member of Lakeside’s search-and-rescue team, a volunteer group that did not include police or reserve officers. ... “He was trying to help his community,” Brown said. “How is that being above the law?”
....
In July 2014, Couch told North Richland Hills officers who were responding to a disturbance that he was a reserve police officer in Lakeside in northwest Tarrant County. Officers found that he had a badge. ... In a dashcam video shown to jurors, Couch told officers that he was a reserve officer. ... Couch is the father of Ethan Couch, who was driving drunk in June 2013 and caused a crash in the 1500 block of Burleson Retta Road in south Tarrant County, killing four people.
....
Ethan Couch has remained in custody, serving four 180-day stints in the Tarrant County jail as a new condition of his probation. ... Tonya Couch, 49, faces two felonies in her son’s flight to Mexico: money laundering and hindering the apprehension of a felon. She has been free on bond since January.
This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.
Dad of ‘affluenza’ teen guilty of falsely identifying himself as officer
The father of the “affluenza teen” went on trial this week in Fort Worth, charged with false identication as a peace officer. Domingo Ramirez Jr. - ramirez@star-telegram.com
By Domingo Ramirez Jr.
ramirez@star-telegram.com
Domingo Ramirez Jr.: 817-390-7763, @mingoramirezjr
FORT WORTH — A Tarrant County jury on Wednesday found the father of “affluenza” teen Ethan Couch guilty of a misdemeanor charge of false identification as a peace officer in a 2014 case that involved the North Richland Hills police. ... Fred Couch, 51, was sentenced to 120 days in jail and 100 hours of community service but was given a year’s probation instead of jail time, according to Tarrant County court records.
Couch had pleaded not guilty to the charge Tuesday, the first day of testimony in his trial. ... The jury of four men and two women deliberated an hour and a half before reaching their decision in County Criminal Court No. 4. ... In closing arguments Wednesday morning, defense attorney Scott Brown of Fort Worth told the jury that Couch, who carried a badge with the words “search and rescue” and “Lakeside police” on it, never asserted authority with it. Couch was a member of Lakeside’s search-and-rescue team, a volunteer group that did not include police or reserve officers. ... “He was trying to help his community,” Brown said. “How is that being above the law?”
....
In July 2014, Couch told North Richland Hills officers who were responding to a disturbance that he was a reserve police officer in Lakeside in northwest Tarrant County. Officers found that he had a badge. ... In a dashcam video shown to jurors, Couch told officers that he was a reserve officer. ... Couch is the father of Ethan Couch, who was driving drunk in June 2013 and caused a crash in the 1500 block of Burleson Retta Road in south Tarrant County, killing four people.
....
Ethan Couch has remained in custody, serving four 180-day stints in the Tarrant County jail as a new condition of his probation. ... Tonya Couch, 49, faces two felonies in her son’s flight to Mexico: money laundering and hindering the apprehension of a felon. She has been free on bond since January.
This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.
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