A man who became known as the 'affluenza teen' for his unusual defense at a 2013 manslaughter trial is set to be released from a Texas jail after prosecutors raised questions Friday about a drug test that triggered an alleged probation violation.Ethan Couch, 22, avoided prison following his initial conviction for killing four people while driving drunk. He was instead sentenced to 10 years of probation after a trial in which a psychologist testified that Couch - 16 at the time of the crash - was affected by 'affluenza,' or irresponsibility caused by family wealth.Couch was arrested Thursday after probation officers reported that a drug monitoring patch he wears returned a 'weak positive' result for THC, the psychoactive substance found in marijuana, District Attorney Sharen Wilson said in a statement. But it is possible the patch was set off by legal CBD oil and it will take further testing to be sure, she said.Couch's lawyers said they are optimistic the tests will verify he did not use a prohibited substance.'Ethan is committed to his sobriety and to remaining compliant with all of the terms and conditions imposed by the court,' attorneys Scott Brown and Reagan Wynn said in a statement. A spokeswoman for the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office confirmed he is to be released from a Fort Worth jail, which his attorneys said would happen either Friday or Monday ahead of further investigation and testing.In a Friday court filing, prosecutors said that after getting the drug test result a court officer wanted Couch in custody to ensure he doesn't shave his head because his hair might be needed for a follow-up test.The court officer declined to comment. The Tarrant County probation office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Share this article Share CBD, short for cannabidiol, is one of many chemicals found in cannabis. Most CBD is made from hemp, a low-THC relative of marijuana that was legalized by the 2018 federal farm bill.Texas later approved hemp cultivation, creating a haze of legal confusion because most state crime labs can't do the testing to tell the difference between the cannabis plant and its illegal cousin, marijuana.On June 15, 2013, Couch was behind the wheel of his father's red Ford F-350 pick-up, speeding 70mph from his home in Burleson, Texas, where he had hosted a drunken teenage party. Earlier in the day he and two friends had stolen three cases of Miller Light from a local Walmart.As the party got into swing, one of the guests found she needed a tampon and everyone piled into the truck to go to a nearby convenience store.The then-16-year-old smashed into an SUV that had stopped by the side of the road after its tire blew, killing its driver Breanna Mitchell, 24.The crash also killed three people who had to come to her aid, including Brian Jennings, who was on the way home from his son's graduation, and mother and daughter Hollie and Shelby Boyles.Sergio Molina, one of Couch's passengers, was lef
'Affluenza' teen set to be freed from jail over doubts about drug test
A man who became known as the 'affluenza teen' for his unusual defense at a 2013 manslaughter trial is set to be released from a Texas jail after prosecutors raised questions Friday about a drug test that triggered an alleged probation violation.Ethan Couch, 22, avoided prison following his initial conviction for killing four people while driving drunk. He was instead sentenced to 10 years of probation after a trial in which a psychologist testified that Couch - 16 at the time of the crash - was affected by 'affluenza,' or irresponsibility caused by family wealth.Couch was arrested Thursday after probation officers reported that a drug monitoring patch he wears returned a 'weak positive' result for THC, the psychoactive substance found in marijuana, District Attorney Sharen Wilson said in a statement. But it is possible the patch was set off by legal CBD oil and it will take further testing to be sure, she said.Couch's lawyers said they are optimistic the tests will verify he did not use a prohibited substance.'Ethan is committed to his sobriety and to remaining compliant with all of the terms and conditions imposed by the court,' attorneys Scott Brown and Reagan Wynn said in a statement. A spokeswoman for the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office confirmed he is to be released from a Fort Worth jail, which his attorneys said would happen either Friday or Monday ahead of further investigation and testing.In a Friday court filing, prosecutors said that after getting the drug test result a court officer wanted Couch in custody to ensure he doesn't shave his head because his hair might be needed for a follow-up test.The court officer declined to comment. The Tarrant County probation office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Share this article Share CBD, short for cannabidiol, is one of many chemicals found in cannabis. Most CBD is made from hemp, a low-THC relative of marijuana that was legalized by the 2018 federal farm bill.Texas later approved hemp cultivation, creating a haze of legal confusion because most state crime labs can't do the testing to tell the difference between the cannabis plant and its illegal cousin, marijuana.On June 15, 2013, Couch was behind the wheel of his father's red Ford F-350 pick-up, speeding 70mph from his home in Burleson, Texas, where he had hosted a drunken teenage party. Earlier in the day he and two friends had stolen three cases of Miller Light from a local Walmart.As the party got into swing, one of the guests found she needed a tampon and everyone piled into the truck to go to a nearby convenience store.The then-16-year-old smashed into an SUV that had stopped by the side of the road after its tire blew, killing its driver Breanna Mitchell, 24.The crash also killed three people who had to come to her aid, including Brian Jennings, who was on the way home from his son's graduation, and mother and daughter Hollie and Shelby Boyles.Sergio Molina, one of Couch's passengers, was lef
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