The father of Ethan Couch, the 16-year-old who gained national attention for using the “affluenza” defense in court and then receiving probation after killing four in a drunken-driving accident, has been arrested in Texas for allegedly impersonating a police officer.
48-year-old Frederick Couch is a wealthy businessman, who owns a metal works, Cleburne Sheet Metal, with an estimated yearly turnover of $15 million and around 30 staff.
Couch’s son, Ethan, was intoxicated and behind the wheel of a pickup truck when he crashed and killed four people while injuring several others in June 2013.
The “affluenza” defense, which garnered national attention, maintained that the teen suffered from a condition where he had no sense of responsibility due to a lack of parenting. His son, lived in his own mansion, according to reports after a difficult divorce from Ethan’s mother Tonya, he apparently gave his son the huge single story property.
Couch was also allegedly given his own car when he was just 13 and was driving a powerful truck owned by his dad’s company on the night of the accident.
Since the verdict, the Couch family has settled several lawsuits worth millions of dollars with the families of the victims.
Fred Couch attended University of Louisville, has resided in Fort Worth, TX; Burleson, TX and Cleburne, TX.
Unfortunately this is not Mr. Couch first rodeo with authorities, according to report from the Daily Mail, Fred and Tonya Couch have had many brushes with the law from speeding to assault. Mr Couch has been arrested for theft, (pictured below); evading arrest and an alleged assault against his now ex-wife. He paid out over nine driving citation fines.
Aside from a number of small fines for their motoring offenses and a six-month community supervision order issued to the former Mrs Couch, neither of them have been punished further.
In fact all of the more serious cases against Mr Couch, going back as far as 1989, have been dismissed. Charges were dropped in the two theft cases, because Mr Couch paid substantial restitution.
This time, authorities in North Richland Hills, a Fort Worth suburb, arrested Frederick Anthony Couch on Tuesday, saying he posed as a Lakeside reserve officer at the scene of a disturbance call July 28, reports WFAA.
Police said Frederick Couch led an officer to his vehicle, and according to the arrest warrant, Couch said his “Lakeside police stuff” was inside. Investigating officers spoke with Couch, who they said presented a badge and an identification card and identified himself as a reserve officer for the small Lake Worth community of Lakeside.
The officers at the scene looked into Couch’s status as a reserve officer and learned that he was not an officer with the City of Lakeside and has never been licensed as a police officer in the state of Texas.
Following his arrest Tuesday, Couch was taken to the city’s detention facility for processing with bond set at $2,500.
Like father like son?
