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Josh Duggar Trial to Begin in July: Everything We Know

One day after news broke that Josh Duggar was arrested in Arkansas, Us Weekly confirmed that he was indicted on child pornography charges.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Arkansas revealed the nature of the charges in a press release on April 30.

“A Springdale man was arrested yesterday for receiving and possessing material depicting the sexual abuse of children,” the release began. “According to court documents, Joshua James Duggar, 33, allegedly used the internet to download child sexual abuse material. Duggar allegedly possessed this material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019.”

Josh, the eldest child of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, was detained without bond. The news came days after his wife, Anna Duggar, announced that the pair are expecting their seventh child.

“It’s a GIRL!!!!!” Anna wrote via Instagram on April 24. “We are overjoyed to announce baby seven is on the way and we can’t wait to hold her in our arms this fall!”

The twosome, who wed in 2008, share six kids: Mackynzie (born October 2009), Michael (June 2011), Marcus (June 2013), Meredith (July 2015), Mason (September 2017) and Maryella (November 2019)

Josh is no stranger to controversy. Back in 2015, he made headlines when resurfaced court documents revealed he molested five girls — four of which were related to him — between 2002 and 2003. He was 14 and 15 years old at the time.

“Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends,” he said in a statement via Facebook at the time. “We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life.”

Josh and Anna’s marriage hit another rough patch that August after his Ashley Madison account was revealed. He subsequently sought treatment and the couple began counseling.

“Since the residential treatment program ended, we have been working with a professional marriage and family counselor to take important steps toward healing,” Josh and Anna wrote in a statement in March 2016. “As the future unfolds, we are taking one day at a time and we are grateful for your continued prayers for both of us and our sweet children.”

Anna has yet to publicly comment on her husband’s recent arrest. Scroll through for everything we know about the case so far:


The Arrest

Us confirmed on April 29 that Josh was arrested and taken into custody at the Washington County jail in Arkansas.

Washington County Police Dept.
The Charges

Josh is currently being held without bond, but he can request to be released during a May 5 hearing.

“I will also advise you that any proposed third-party custodian, it would need to be in a residence, where there are no minors in the home,” the judge told Josh and his lawyer on April 30. “So, you all would need to be looking for somebody that will ensure compliance with conditions of release and can ensure to the court that there are no minors in the home, or that would be visiting unsupervised.”

Courtesy Josh Duggar/Twitter
The Charges

“Duggar is charged by indictment with receiving and possessing child pornography,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s press release read. If he’s found guilty, the reality TV personality faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for each count.

Courtesy Josh Duggar/Twitter
The Trial

While Josh’s trial is set to begin July 6, pretrial proceedings are scheduled to start on July 1.

Danny Johnston/AP/Shutterstock
The Family Reaction

“We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time,” Jim Bob and Michelle said in a statement to Us via their family rep on April 30. “The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious. 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.”

Josh’s sister Jill Duggar and her husband, Derick Dillard, who aren’t on the best terms with the family, released a statement of their own, reading, "We just found out this information yesterday. It is very sad."

Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo later took to Instagram to react: “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 authorities and judicial process in their pursuit of justice."

Courtesy Josh Duggar/Twitter


from Celebrity News – Us Weekly https://ift.tt/3aTEBUn
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