Fred Couch, the father Ethan Couch, the Texas teen who used the ‘affluenza’ defense after killing four people in a DUI crash, was arrested on Tuesday.

Fred Couch, Father Of Ethan Couch, Arrested

Couch was arrested Tuesday morning for impersonating a police officer during an incident in July. On July 28, at 1 a.m., officers were called to the scene of a disturbance outside the home of Keith Capo. Capo claims that Couch, standing next to Capo’s neighbor, threatened him with a gun, days after Capo and his neighbor had had a disagreement. According to the North Richland Hills Police, Couch falsely identified himself as a reserve officer for Lakeside, a neighboring community, when pressed by the police.

“Couch reached into his vehicle and took out his wallet, displaying what appeared to be a police badge and identification card, suggesting he was a police officer,” said the North Richland Hills Police.

Couch presented the cops with a Lakeside ID and police badge that appeared legitimate, so the cops let him go. However, one of the officers had previously worked at Lakeside PD and, suspicious of Couch’s credentials, attempted to verify Couch’s story. After doing a bit of research, the officers quickly found that Couch had never been a licensed officer, nor had he ever been involved with the Lakeside PD. A warrant was soon issued for his arrest, and Couch was taken into police custody Tuesday.

Couch has been charged with False Identification as a Police Officer and Misrepresentation of Property. His bond is set at $2,500.

Couch is known for the actions of his teenage son, Ethan, whose defense attorney claimed that he suffered from a privileged upbringing that manifested in a lack of parenting – which many took to mean that Ethan had grown up too rich to know right from wrong. And Capo, the man Couch allegedly threatened with a gun, told local news that he hoped Couch would be held responsible for his actions.

“I just hope he understands that you can’t sit there and say and do whatever you want, just because you got more money than anybody else. I mean, that’s not right,” Capo told NBC DFW.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.