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[h=4]Inside 'affluenza' teen's Texas prison home[/h]Ethan Couch is in an isolation cell in the Lon Evans Corrections Center.
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A concrete bed is all Ethan Couch has for comfort in the maximum security Lon Evans Corrections Center. VPC
In this photo provided by the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department, Ethan Couch appears in a booking photo on February 5, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. The Texas teenager who used an "affluenza" defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck was transferred to an adult jail on Friday, a week after a judge initially refused to do so.(Photo: AP)
FORT WORTH — The Texas teen known for his "affluenza" defense when he was given probation for killing four people in a 2013 drunken-driving crash has been a model prisoner in adult jail, said the Tarrant County sheriff.
Ethan Couch, 18, was quietly moved to the maximum security Lon Evans Corrections Center on<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Friday.
On a national talk show Monday, Sheriff Dee Anderson fielded questions about how Couch passes time by watching exercise videos and eating Blue Bell ice cream.
To dispel any concerns that Couch is being coddled in prison, Anderson gave a tour of the facility Tuesday.
"This is what we call an isolation cell,” said Anderson, stepping into a typical room. It's all steel and concrete. There's a built-in concrete bench to hold a bed mat; a steel sink and toilet, and even a shower. But there is no privacy.
USA TODAY
'Affluenza' teen Ethan Couch transferred to adult jail
“This gives us the ability — if we need to — to leave a person in here 24 hours a day. We don't have to move them at all."
It’s an existence a medieval monk might embrace, but Anderson says most inmates prefer the old jail, and view the new Lon Evans maximum security facility as punishment.
"Affluenza" teen Ethan Couch is housed in the maximum security Lon Evans Corrections Center in Fort Worth. He is held in an isolation cell.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth)
When a judge ordered Couch out of juvenile detention last Friday, Anderson put him here, because he said this is the safest place for him.
"With a notorious high-profile inmate, you have to worry about someone else trying to hurt him,” Anderson said. The 3-year-old Lon Evans center has the tightest security, so it's safest for jailers and prisoners.
Couch is known as the "affluenza" teen because during his trial his defense attorney claimed his affluent upbringing prevented him from understanding his responsibility in the crash.
Couch returned to Texas on Jan. 28 after 28 days in custody in Mexico.
Couch and his mother, Tonya, fled to Mexico after a video surfaced that appeared to show the teen playing beer pong at a party, a violation of his probation.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>He is<span style="color: Red;">*</span>serving 10 years probation for killing four people and injuring several others<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in a 2013 drunk-driving crash.
USA TODAY
'Affluenza' teen to be held in juvenile detention for now
The Couches<span style="color: Red;">*</span>were found and detained<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in December after calling out for pizza<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in the resort city of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Puerto Vallarta.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Tonya Couch<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was quickly sent back to the United States, charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and released from jail after posting bail.
She could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The inside of an isolation cell at the Lon Evans Corrections Center in Fort Worth, as seen Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth)
At the Lon Evans facility, inmates never interact. They don't even pass each other in a hallway.
Food is passed through the “bean chute,” a heavy steel portal in the heavier steel door.
There is a window that jailers can open or close. And a small window at the back that cannot be closed.
Visitation also occurs through the bean chute, via a computer monitor. The monitor is rolled up to the door for the inmate to see. Visitors sit in booths off the jail lobby.
USA TODAY
'Affluenza' teen locked up in Texas juvenile center
"There's no TV-watching in this facility,” the sheriff said. That is, unless an inmate wants to watch an exercise video. There are two choices: Richard Simmons or ancient videos of the late fitness guru Jack LaLanne. The videos also are viewed through the bean chute<span style="color: Red;">*</span>on a small monitor rolled up to the closed door.
It is true that inmates can get ice cream, but only if they buy it from the commissary cart. Jailers can take away the privilege to help control behavior.
A decision on moving his case to an adult court won’t come until after another hearing Feb. 19, and he could face 120 days in jail.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>He turns 19 in April.
Contributing: Carla Wade,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth; The Associated Press.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Follow Jim Douglas on Twitter:@wfaajdouglas
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