Josh Duggar will be prohibited from reuniting with wife Anna Duggar and their six children amid his child pornography chase.
After being arrested in Washington County, Arkansas, the 33-year-old former reality star pleaded not guilty to receiving and possessing material depicting the sexual abuse of children during a Zoom court hearing on Friday.
Josh is currently being held at an Arkansas detention center. If he gets released on bail, U.S Chief Magistrate Judge Erin L. Wiedemann said during the hearing, via People, he would be required to stay with a third party custodian with no minor children in the home; meaning he won’t be able to return to his Arkansas home.
During the hearing, Josh’s attorney told the court that he and his client were waiving the right to have the charges read out loud in court. Following the hearing, though, court docs obtained by ET revealed his charges.
According to the docs, in May 2019, Josh allegedly used the internet to download the material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under 12. If convicted, Josh faces up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000 on each count. A pretrial hearing is set for July 1, while the trial is scheduled to begin on July 6.
In a statement to ET, Josh’s lawyers, Justin Gelfand, Travis W. Story and Greg Payne, said, “Josh Duggar has been charged in a two-count indictment. He has pled not guilty to both charges and we intend to defend this case aggressively and thoroughly. In this country, no one can stop prosecutors from charging a crime. But when you’re accused, you can fight back in the courtroom — and that is exactly what Josh intends to do.”
After pleading not guilty, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, issued a statement expressing the severity of their son’s accusations.
“We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious,” the couple expressed in a statement on their website. “It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light, and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner. We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family.”
Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo also released a statement on Friday on social media, expressing how “disturbed” they are with the news of her brother.
“We are disturbed to hear of the charges against Josh. While this case must go through the legal system, we want to make it clear that we absolutely condemn any form of child abuse and fully support the authorities and judicial process in their pursuit of justice.”
Additionally, Derick and Jill Dillard tell ET exclusively, “This is just very sad for our family.”
The arrest and charges come a week after Josh and Anna announced that they are expecting his seventh child together.
Josh was previously investigated by Springdale, Arkansas, police regarding allegations that he inappropriately touched five girls who were minors when he was 14. According to multiple reports, no charges were filed against him because the statute of limitations, which was three years at the time, had expired by the time of the 2006 investigation.
