‘Affluenza’ Teen Detained in Mexico

U.S and Mexican officials say authorities in Mexico have detained an American teenager wanted for violating his probation in connection with a drunk-driving crash that killed four people in 2013.

18-year-old Ethan Couch and his mother were taken into custody in Puerto Vallarta on Mexico’s west coast. The U.S. Department of Justice had offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Couch’s arrest.

He missed a mandatory meeting with his probation officer on December 10. Officials in Texas, where Couch is wanted, have said they believe he fled in November after a video surfaced showing him drinking at a party in what would be a violation of his probation conditions.

The 2013 crash happened when Couch was 16 years old and drunk and slammed into an SUV that was on the side of the road. He pled guilty to intoxication manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years of probation.

The case made national news when a defense expert said that his wealthy parents treated him too softly, which ingrained a sense of irresponsibility, or what he termed “affluenza.”