Joseph Duggar, who appeared on 19 Kids and Counting, was taken into custody on March 18 in Arkansas. The charges stem from a 2020 incident where he allegedly touched a 9-year-old girl inappropriately. On April 2, one of Joseph Duggar’s sisters, Jana Duggar, issued a statement on her Instagram stories, in which she wrote:
“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by the situation involving my brother, Joseph. This news came as a shock to us, as we had no prior knowledge before it became public. Our hearts are with the child who has been harmed-this is a grievous and unacceptable wrong. We continue to pray for the victim and for justice to be carried out.”
Meanwhile, one of the siblings, Jessa Duggar, shared a similar Instagram story in April, condemning the incident. She wrote:
“We learned, along with the rest of the world, of the heartbreaking news involving my brother, Joseph, and we are deeply grieved. Our hearts ache for this innocent young girl and the harm she has suffered. This is a profound wrong, and we know it grieves the heart of God, who cares deeply for children and the vulnerable. We are lifting her up in prayer, asking for comfort, healing, and justice.”
According to People Magazine, the 2020 incident happened when Joseph Duggar was on a family vacation in Panama City Beach. Following his arrest, he had his court appearance on March 31. He pleaded not guilty to any of the charges. A bond of $600,000 was set, following which he returned to Arkansas.
What did the Judge say at Joseph Duggar’s court appearance?
Joseph Duggar’s wife, Kendra, made a phone call to her husband while he was in prison. On March 31, TMZ released a portion of the phone recording, in which Kendra can be heard saying:
“Just know that everybody loves you even if they are disappointed.”
Joseph said that he understood the disappointment, and he was not upset about it. Kendra also said:
“We are just gonna trust that God is gonna get us through one day at a time. Because every time I look up the staircase, I melt into a puddle so we decided to just take it one day at a time, one moment at a time. So, hopefully you can do that too.”
As seen in a clip from the first court appearance, the Judge asked the state attorneys if they had anything to say. A person said that they wanted a substantial monetary bond in the case, as the charges were serious.
While reading out the bond amount, the Judge said that Joseph Duggar is not supposed to have any contact, directly or indirectly, with the alleged victim. The Judge then said:
“Sir, you are also ordered that you were to have no unsupervised contact with any minor under the age of 18. Your next court date Sir is April 20th at 9 AM.”
According to Page Six, Joseph Duggar also wrote individual letters to his family members apologising for his alleged deeds. He said he was sorry for tarnishing the family name.
Edited by Anuj Basak