Rich Teen Kills 4, Avoids Prison Thanks To "Affluenza" Photo The authorities have intensified their search for Ethan Couch, releasing new details and offering a$5,000 reward. Credit U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE, via Agence France-Presse Getty Images
The manhunt for Ethan Couch, a Texas teenager who was the topic of an intense debate about so-called affluenza after he was sentenced to probation for driving drunk and killing four people, intensified as the authorities released new details in the search for him and his mother.
On Facebook, the Tarrant County Sheriffs Office posted photos of a black Ford F-150 pickup truck that belongs to Mr. Couchs 48-year-old mother, Tonya Couch. The truck, with the Texas license plate number BC50945, has some damage to the rear passenger panel.
In the post, the authorities also included a photo of Ms. Couch, and said that she had been added to a national missing persons database.
Photo Tonya Couch Credit Tarrant County Sheriff"s Office
Then theyll get a hit on her name and on the missing person it says shes possibly accompanying a fugitive, Sheriff Dee Anderson told reporters on Monday. So hopefully everyone will understand that once they saw that hit on the computer that they need to investigate a little further.
Mr. Couch, 18, and his mother have been missing since at least early December, about two weeks after a person shared a video to Twitter that appeared to show the teenager playing the drinking game beer pong with friends, which would violate his 10-year probation sentence.
The Tarrant County Sheriffs Office said last week that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service had joined the search, and offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Mr. Couch. On Tuesday, Mr. Couchs lawyers, Reagan Wynn and Scott Brown, said in an email that they had received no new information about their client.
Because of the obvious uncertainty surrounding this matter, it would not be appropriate for us to make any additional public statements at this time, they wrote in a statement.
In June 2013, Mr. Couch and his friends stole beer from a Walmart. Later, he drove a pickup truck into four pedestrians, killing them and seriously injuring a friend who was traveling in the trucks bed. Mr. Couch was found to have a blood-alcohol level of 0.24, three times the legal limit. He was convicted of vehicular manslaughter.
In court, the case made headlines when a psychologist called by the defense described Mr. Couch as suffering from affluenza, a term used to describe the psychological problems associated with children born to wealthy families.
I wish I hadnt used that term, G. d**k Miller, the psychologist who offered that defense in court, told CNN at the time. We used to call these people spoiled brats.
Charles Woodson: 2015 is My Final Season | NFL News
Three players I hold in the same esteem: Junior Seau, Tom Brady and Charles Woodson. To me, Charles is the best defensive back of all time.
Former Pro Bowl safety Rodney Harrison on Mondaynight, after hearing that Woodson, 39, will retire at the end of this, his 18th NFL season.
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I wish I was writing this column with a CANTON dateline.
On a rainy early evening four days before Christmas, Charles Woodson, 39, sat down in the media room at the Raiders practice facility and told about a dozen Bay Area reportersMondaythat he was retiring. Thursdaysmy last home game, he said, with some emotion in his voice. He wanted fans at his last game in Oakland to know this was the last time theyd see him play football at the place where his NFL career began in 1998. As a Raider. In this coliseum.
In many ways, this was perfect Woodson. The publics never known him very well, despite his incredible football life. (And yes, NFL Films. You can start doing the interviews around the league in the coming weeks for Charles Woodson: A Football Life.) He could have announced his retirement in some glitzy way, but he chose to share it with the beat people he saw most days. No accident, said longtime Raider beat man Steve Corkran. And this, from Vic Tafur of theSan Francisco Chronicle:I think he respects that were here every day, working. The way Woodson was. As Woodson told the writersMonday: You guys are the eyes and ears of Raider Nation, our Raiders community, to let them all know that 2015 is going to be my last season playing in the NFL.
THE AGELESS WONDER: Woodson reflects on his football life
What an NFL career hes had. What a football life hes had. Woodson was Mr. Football in Ohio in 1994, after he rushed for 2,028 yards and scored 230 points, which is absurd, at Fremont High, halfway between Columbus and Ann Arbor. His old brother loved Michigan, so he picked the Wolverines, and played there three years as a defensive back and wide receiver and return man, earning all-America honors in 1996 and 1997. He beat out Peyton Manning for the Heisman Trophy in 1997. In the 1998 draft, he was selected fourth overall, by Oakland, and he bookended his career with the Raiders: very good, mostly, in 1998 through 2005 and good in 2013 through 2015 in Oakland. Better, in my opinion, with the Packers from 2006 through 2012. Eight Pro Bowl seasons, four first-team all-pro seasons. Fifth on the all-time interceptions list with 65. He picked off Jason Garrett and Warren Moon. He picked off Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick.
Heisman winner. Defensive Player of the Year winner. Super Bowl winner. All-Decade Team (2000s) cornerback. Twice the NFL interception king. Tuck Rule Game combatant. And the only player in NFL history with at least 50 interceptions and 20 sacks. And Presidential jouster.
Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Woodson (holding frame) and the Packers visited President Obama after winning the Super Bowl following the 2010 season.
When President Obama, avowed Bears fan, said hed host the Bears at the White House when they won the Super Bowl in 2010, and then the Packers beat the Bears in the NFC title game and won the Super Bowl, Woodson wore a jersey saying, See you at the White House. So Obama, when the Packers actually made it to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, said: I have learned something that many quarterbacks have learned. Dont mess with Charles Woodson.
That season takes into account my favorite Woodson story. You may recall, months earlier, when Woodson, with two minutes left in the first half of Super Bowl 45, watched as Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw deep up the left sideline to wideout Mike Wallace. Woodson turned and was in stride-for-stride pursuit. Woodson dove trying to make a play on the ball, and he landed on his chest and left shoulder, cracking the collarbone. Woodson could feel he was badly hurt, but he stayed in one more play before the pain got to him. He went in for X-rays, and there was no doubt about it. Busted.
When Woodson found out the extent of his injury, he was inconsolable. The Super Bowl was the one thing in football he hadnt won. I havent cried that much in I dont know how long, he said that day.
But he wanted to address his team at halftime. Coach Mike McCarthy let him.
You know how bad I want this, guys Woodson said, and that was it. Bawling.
At his locker, two hours after the game, and after reliving the moment time and again for all to hear, Tim Layden ofSports Illustratedand I were the last two reporters in the locker room. Woodson looked at us.
Now Im going to ask you for a favor, said Woodson, whod dressed all by himself until this moment. (I timed it. It took him 97 seconds to put on his black dress shirt.) The collarbone was not just chipped. It was broken all the way through.
Woodson turned his back to us, his left arm already through the sleeve of his black jacket, his eyes closing to help bear the pain.
Help me with my jacket.
Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Woodson broke his collarbone breaking up this play during Super Bowl 45 in Dallas.
Layden and I both reached to help him lift the jacket in position so he could push his uninjured arm through the sleeve. Woodson did it, and there he stood, the man in black, happy with himself.
Im a champion, he said. Its all I ever wanted. Were going to go see President Obama. I hope hes got good doctors, in case I want to get a second opinion.
He liked that one.
I feel like Ive reached my rightful place in history, he said.
I asked him what he thought Al Davis might be sayingtonight.
I should have never let him get out of here, said Woodson, channeling his inner Al.
A couple of equipment men helped him pack up, and slowly, Woodson was out the door. As he left, he yelled a joke to one of the Packers team medics. Hey doc! he said. If we had a game next week, would you shoot me up?
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Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Woodson is still playing the game at a high level. His eight takeaways this season (five interceptions, three fumble recoveries) is second best in the NFL.
Its not fashionable or even admirable to joke about shooting up people to play football anymore. But thats the football ethos of Charles Woodson. Hes been playing with a shoulder that kept popping outit happened againSunday, and he went out for a few plays, then went back in the game against Green Baybut he wouldnt sit.
I watched him on tape, and I could see him grabbing his shoulder all the time, Rodney Harrison saidMondaynight. He wasnt 100 percent healthy this year. His shoulder was killing him. For him to give effort like that I love him. I friggin love him. He gets me pumped up. He did what I could only dream about, to play that long. And at that level. To blitz, cover, tackle, hit, intimidate, teach the way he did. Fantastic. He is fantastic. Who is friggin tougher than Charles Woodson!
I asked Harrison if he was sad Woodson was retiring.
Sad? he said. No! I am very joyful. I didnt want to see a guy who had such a great career hurt himself. I didnt want to see him hurt for life. But what I will miss is his class. Never did he draw attention to himself. He just played. Now, a guy makes a tackle after a four-yard gain and he jumps up and says, Look, world! Look at me! Thats not Charles Woodson. And that makes him even more special.
I dont even know him very well, but of course I will miss him. Hes an extension of me, Troy Polamalu, Rod Woodson, Darren Woodson, Ed Reed, Ronnie Lott, Steve Atwater. His desire is just like that. Playing with pain, just like that. But you take everything about him, at corner and safety, and I believe none of them can do what he did, all the things he could do, year after year.
Thats Woodsons legacy. Wouldnt every player want that sort of legacy?
Now for the rankings...
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Photo: Peter Morgan/AP
Odell Beckham Jr. was suspended one game for his actions during Sunday"s game against Carolina.
The Fine Fifteen
1. Carolina (14-0). Last week: 1. Regarding the public and media mayhemMondayover the bat brought to the sidelines of MetLife Stadium, and the unspecified threats made to Odell Beckham Jr. and the rumored slurs directed at Beckham: I dont care that a bat was brought on the field, as long as there was never any indication that the bat was actually going to be, you know,used, on another human being during or after or before the game. The bat Reggie Bush brought on the field became a point of lore during the 2009 playoffs, and it was embraced by the public and the media during the Saints playoff run. Zero problem with it, unless its used in a threatening way. Now, regarding any threats or slurs used by Panthers: If it happened, lets air the proof and bring it forward and see if it really happened. If theres evidence it did, some Panther needs to be punished for it. If theres a he-said, he-said story, then the league will have to adjudicate the outcome. And thats it. One other thing, and its along the lines of something my father taught me:You are always responsible for your action. Always.I could never blame something I did wrong on something someone said or did that provoked me. Nine hundred times in my life, he said to me, Two wrongs dont make a right. If someone said something to Beckham before the game that provoked him into turning into a total nut job for the next three hours, thats on Beckham for being immature, not on a Panther for intimidating him before the game.
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2.New England (12-2). LW: 2.I want the PSI measurements before, at halftime and after the Patriots-Titans game, and I want them now. In case you hadnt heard, it was reported that the league was usingSundaysgame as one of the randomly chosen games at which the league would measure the PSI levels in all the footballs used. And with the conditions similar to those at the AFC title game last game, its only fair that the league, which preaches transparency, would disclose these measurements.
3.Arizona (12-2). LW: 3.The loss of Tyrann Mathieu to ACL surgery will mean Deone Bucannon will have to emerge as even more of a playmaker, all over the field at inside linebacker, startingSundayagainst the Packers.
4.Seattle (9-5). LW: 4.Is it just me (and Mike Florio), or has Russell Wilson been a lot better since Marshawn Lynch went on hiatus and, later, Jimmy Graham was lost for the year? Asking for a friend.
FOUR WAYS TO FIX OFFICIATING:Seattles Sherman has suggestions
5.Pittsburgh (9-5). LW: 5.Steelers passing game reminds me of the old Raiders, with two exceptions: Roethlisberger > Lamonica. Antonio Brown > Biletnikoff.
6.Green Bay (10-4). LW: 7.You cant fool anyone, Aaron Rodgers. Youre really unhappy with the direction of the Green Bay offense. Dont blame you, by the way.
7.Kansas City (9-5). LW: 8.Interesting to note that the Chiefs likely will be two or three wins better than the team they will play on the road in the first round of the playoffs (likely Houston). I will continue to say thats wronga division winner being guaranteed playing a home playoff gameuntil they take the cold clammy fingers of mine off this keyboard.
8.Denver (10-4).LW: 6.Three straight second halves without scoring a point. Thats no way to stay in contention, Broncos.
AND THE AWARDS GO TO ...With two weeks to go in the regular season, Andy Benoit reveals his picks for all of 2015s major awards.
9.Cincinnati (11-3). LW: 9.Cincinnati at Denver. Likely McCarron at Osweiler. Flip a coin.
10.New York Jets (9-5). LW: 10.For about the 16thtime in 16 Bill Belichick seasons in New England, the Jets playoff fate rides on having to beat the Patriots to get in.Sundayat the Meadowlands, Pats-Jets. Be there.
11.Minnesota (9-5). LW: 11.Welcome to playoff contention, Teddy Bridgewater. You showedSundayyoure going to do just fine.
12.Washington (7-7). LW: 13.Never thought Id say this, but Washington might give someone a decent game in the playoffs.
13.Philadelphia (6-8). LW: 12.Moral of the story fromSunday: Dont invite Chip Kelly and Snoop Dogg to the same Super Bowl party.
14.New York Giants (6-8). LW: 16.All of a sudden, some of the shine comes off theSundaynight game at Minnesota, unless Beckham wins his appeal. Which I doubt h**l do.
15.St.Louis (6-8). LW: not rated.Pretty interesting: 3-1 in the division, with games at San Francisco and Seattle remaining.
Also receiving votes:
16.Atlanta (7-7). LW: not rated.Patience, Arthur Blank. Patience.
17.Houston (77).LW: not rated.Hard to muster up much excitement for the prospective AFC South winner.
18.Tampa Bay (6-8).LW: 14.Wait till next year, with an asterisk named Jameis Winston.
19.Oakland (6-8). LW: 18.Grasping at teams here.
20.Jacksonville (5-9). LW: 17.Emphasis for Blake Bortles in off-season throwing: Target your own guys in the red zone.
Question or comment?Email us attalkback@themmqb.com.
PHILADELPHIA --The Eagles were missing three defensive starters when the team reconvened Tuesday to begin preparing for Saturday night"s pivotal contest against the Washington Redskinsat Lincoln Financial Field.
ALSO:NFC power rankings
Cornerback Eric Rowe was a spectator, still in the NFL concussion protocol. Meanwhile, fellow starting cornerback Byron Maxwell was unable practice after suffering a shoulder sprain in Sunday night"s loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Mychal Kendricks talks trash after blowout loss
Nose tackle Bennie Logan was not at practice. Logan has been on the injury report the past two weeks with an ankle injury and left the field on the final drive Sunday night due to an undisclosed injury and did not speak to the media afterwards.
MORE:10 things we learned about Eagles from blowout loss to Cardinals
Offensively, wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu sat out practice with an ankle injury but was not wearing a boot or on crutches as was the case on Sunday night.
The Eagles and Redskins kickoff Saturday night at 8:25 p.m.
Matt Lombardo may be reached at MDLombardo@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter@MattLombardo975.Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook
George Hamilton and Alana Stewart are together again!
After being divorced for 40 years, the pair talk to Closer Weekly about what it is like to reunite this time with their extended, blended family for E!s reality series, Stewarts & Hamiltons.
George explains he had some reservations at first about airing his life on TV, I was worried about all the dangers that surround a reality show for a family, he reveals. I was terribly worried that we would start to become something we were not.
George and Alana in April 1973.
Fortunately for George, what the reality series really shows is how close the family is, especially Alana and George. George and I have a really unusual relationship, Alana tells Closer. Theres a real deep love between us.
With Alana, I feel like theres bedrock there, George tells Closer. Weve stood the test of time.
RELATED: George Hamilton Invites Closer Into His Upscale Bachelor Pad!
Georges long bond with Alana has remained among the strongest of his 75 years. You dont get stuck in the elevator of life together and forget it... it stays with you.
Might the new show bring them back together for more romance? Well, George tells Closer, weve gone through the romance, weve gone through the business and what weve come to is an incredible friendship. Why would you wanna go and put a title to it?
For the full interview with George and Alana, pickup the latest issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now!
NASHVILLE -- The seven candidates vying to become Nashville"s next mayor have spent a combined $12.5 million on their bids -- the equivalent of $43 for every registered voter in Music City.
Voters go to the polls Thursday to choose among Councilwoman Megan Barry, attorney Charles Robert Bone, hedge fund manager David Fox, real estate mogul Bill Freeman, Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry, charter school founder Jeremy Kane and businesswoman Linda Eskind Rebrovick.
Four of the candidates have spent more than $1 million of their own money on the race to succeed term-limited Mayor Karl Dean, led by the $3.6 million Freeman has poured into his own campaign. Amid the flood of television advertisements, candidate forums, direct mail and yard signs, it"s unlikely that any of the hopefuls will reach the 50 percent threshold to avoid a runoff between the top two finishers on Sept. 10.
The election comes as the city seeks to sustain its momentum as a popular destination for tourists, relocating businesses and new residents, while trying to balance its growth with the efforts to preserve the character of the city that made it such an attraction in the first place.
The city"s population has grown by 16 percent since 2000 and shows little sign of slowing down. And Nashville"s growing traffic problems and transit needs are taking on a new priority amid the familiar refrain -- heard in mayor"s races across the South -- that nobody wants the city to become another Atlanta, where rapid growth has been accompanied by notorious gridlock.
Dean said the recognition of a need for transit solutions is a new development since he ran in 2007, when "nobody really paid attention" to his proposals for rapid bus transit.
"Eight years later, it"s the No. 1 or No. 2 issue in the city," he said. "Because people want to see it happen."
Although the candidates have generally spoken in favor of public transit, they have offered few specific proposals. The current mayor"s own experience may be leading them to exercise caution.
Dean last year abandoned his $175 million plan to create a 7-mile bus route on dedicated lanes to connect the eastern and western sides of the city through downtown. The proposal faced vocal opposition from some businesses and residents in affluent areas on the western section of the route.
But Dean said he considers that setback temporary.
"Southern cities in particular don"t have a history of mass transit, and you get into a lot of issues like "I"m all for transit, but not around me,"" he said. But freer movement in, out and around the city is a quality of life issue for most residents and commuters, he said.
"Nashville is the hub of the region," he said. "And for Nashville to keep its economic prominence, you"re going to need high-quality transit."
Dean"s predecessor, Bill Purcell, agrees.
"People can fly into Nashville, do a full day of business, go back to the airport and fly out," he said. "That"s not easy in New York, it"s very hard in Los Angeles, it"s not simple in London."
Residents who remember not too long ago being able to reach any point of the city within 10 or 15 minutes find the traffic jams all the more grating, he said.
Although the level of spending on the Nashville"s mayor"s race has come as a surprise, self-funding by candidates is not a new phenomenon. Phil Bredesen, then a fairly unknown health care entrepreneur, in 1987 spent more than $3 million -- or more than $6.3 million in today"s dollars -- on his first race for mayor. He lost that bid, but won in his second try, and later served two terms as governor.
And Dean, the current mayor, spent more than $1 million on his successful bid in 2007.
Purcell said he was encouraged that so many candidates want to drop so much money on running for the office.
"There was a time when most people, including me, would say, "No, you run for mayor,"" he said. "What"s happened since the late 1990s in most of America is a recognition that it"s the mayor of a city that plays the critical role in assuring your quality of life."
Information for parents deciding which movies are best for kids ages 2 to 18:
Shaun the Sheep Movie
Why its rated PG: Some bodily function humor and cartoon-style peril, head injury and memory loss.
Minimum age: 6.
Family discussion: Why did the sheep miss the farmer? Why was the haircut so popular?
If you like this, try: The Wallace & Gromit films and Chicken Run.
Ricki and the Flash
Why its rated PG-13: Tense and unhappy family confrontations, discussion of a suicide attempt, strong language, drinking, marijuana and sexual references and situations.
Minimum age: High school.
Family discussion: Can you have two dreams? How does Pete feel about Ricki? How can you tell? Why does Ricki hurt Greg?
The Ontario-Otsego Positive Action Committee, also known as OPAC, is sponsoring a National Night Out event in Havre de Grace on Tuesday.
The annual National Night Out observance brings communities and police together nationwide in a unified effort toward crime prevention.
In Havre de Grace, there will be refreshments available as residents meet with police officers and learn about drug prevention, neighborhood watch and other crime fighting initiatives, according to a statement from OPAC.
Its also a chance to meet and reconnect with your neighbors, and its a lot of fun! the statement said.
More than 16,000 communities nationwide are participating in National Night Out, according to the National Association of Town Watch, which helps coordinate the gatherings across the country. The event is designed to get citizens and police to interact under positive circumstances.
National Night Out will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4, in the 600 block of Ontario Street, near Stokes Street.
