Josh Duggar pleads not guilty to child pornography charges
Embattled former reality TV star Josh Duggar has been busted for allegedly downloading kiddie porn — including some involving children under the age of 12 — and was ordered held behind bars Friday.
Duggar, 33 — whose wife is pregnant with their seventh child — pleaded not guilty Friday afternoon in the Western District Court of Arkansas to one count each of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography stemming from internet activity in May 2019, according to the Department of Justice.
Duggar was ordered held until at least a bond hearing May 5 — and the judge warned that he would have to stay away from minors if he was released after that, according to 40/29tv.com.
The suspect was previously accused of sexually abusing five underage girls, including four of his sisters, while a teenager. He was never charged over those allegations.
If convicted of the child-porn raps, Duggar — whose Christian fundamentalist family starred in the TLC show “19 Kids and Counting” — faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000. He is being held at the Washington County Detention Center.
Duggar was busted in Arkansas on Thursday by US marshals. His arrest came days after his wife announced she was pregnant with the couple’s seventh child.
In the hours leading up to his court hearing, a source told The Sun that Duggar’s wife, Anna, 33, would continue to support her husband and had even escorted him to the police station when he turned himself in.
“Anna is standing by her husband as she always has,” the source said. “Josh and Anna asked the family to pray for them and said that they love him.”
Duggar is the eldest of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar’s 19 children. The family’s show was canceled in 2015 after the 2003 molestation allegations against Duggar surfaced in the press.
It was revealed that after Duggar confessed to the abuse, his dad put him in a three-month-long Christian treatment program, then had Arkansas State Trooper Jim Hutchens, a personal friend of the family, give him an unofficial “very stern talk.” Hutchens is now serving 56 years in prison for child pornography, according to the report.
Scandal struck again in 2015 when Duggar was outed for using the dating Web site Ashley Madison to cheat on his wife.
He admitted to the infidelity and claimed he had a pornography addiction, then checked into a faith-based rehab facility for several months, People magazine reported.
Duggar’s lawyer, Justin Gelfand, said in a statement Friday, “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.”
The suspect’s parents added in a statement, “We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. 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 [his wife] Anna and continue to pray for their family.”
– Additional reporting by Lindsey Kupfer.