'Affluenza' Teen's Father Guilty of Identifying Himself as Officer

Like his son, the father of infamous "affluenza" teen Ethan Couch is in trouble with the law.

WFAA, ABC's Dallas affiliate, reports that a Tarrant County, Texas, jury found Fred Couch, 51, guilty of a misdemeanor of false identification of a peace officer in a 2014 case involving police in North Richland Hills, an affluent Dallas–Fort Worth suburb.

Fred Couch — whose teenage son, currently in custody, caused a car accident in 2013 that killed four people and severely injured another — pleased not guilty to the charge against him on Tuesday, his trial's first day of testimony.

According to WFAA, Fred Couch told North Richland Hills officers who were responding to a disturbance call that he was a reserve police officer in the town of nearby Lakeside.

And to make matters worse, police said they found on him a badge reading "Lakeside Police Search and Rescue."

He faces a maximum of 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine, WFAA reports.



