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The saga of “affluenza” teen Ethan Couch takes another turn today. After finally turning 19 earlier this week, the teen has now transferred from the juvenile system to adult courts, where he is finally facing up to the charges of violating his probation late last year by fleeing to Mexico with his mother. And on Wednesday, a Tarrant County, Texas judge did just that, by sentencing Couch to 180 days in jail for each of the four charges he’s accused of.
The jail time is set to be served consecutively, meaning he will be in jail for 720 days, which would be 10 days shy of a full two years. But the judge did note that the time frame could change.
Judge Wayne Salvant determined that Couch, once released, will not be able to consume alcohol, or leave Tarrant County without his permission.
It’s still possible that Judge Salvant may change his mind, as he said in court that “nothing is set in stone,” and he gives Couch’s defense team two weeks to make a case for a lighter sentence. The country was outraged following Couch’s lenient 2013 conviction for killing four people in a drunk driving accident, for which he received just 10 years of probation and no jail time. So if the court of public opinion factors into this case at all, it’s with any hope that the judge will stand firm.