'Affluenza teen' Ethan Couch ordered to serve nearly two years in jail

Ethan Couch, the Texas teenager whose "affluenza" defence in a fatal drunk driving crash prompted national outrage, will remain in jail for nearly two years, the Associated Press reported.

"You're not getting out of jail today," state District Judge Wayne Salvant told Couch on Wednesday, the Dallas Morning News reported.

Salvant said that for now, he was ordering Couch to serve 180 consecutive days in jail for each count of intoxication manslaughter, the newspaper reported. The judge may revise the sentence in a few weeks after reviewing prosecutors' and defense attorneys' recommendations, he said.

Couch turned 19 this week; this is his first time appearing in adult court.

The charges stem from a 2013 drunk driving crash that left four dead. Couch was a juvenile at the time and was sentenced to probation.

A psychologist who testified in Couch's defense argued that the teen was a victim of "affluenza" -- his wealthy upbringing made him unaware and ignorant of the consequences of such actions.

Couch became the subject of an international manhunt last year when he left the country, in violation of his probation. Both he and his mother were found in Mexico.

His mother, Tonya Couch, has been charged with hindering apprehension of a felon.