Josh Duggar’s little sister Jill Duggar Dillard and brother-in-law Derick Dillard have broken the silence on their relative’s arrest which occurred on Thursday. In a statement to People, made before the reality star’s charges were confirmed to be related to child pornography, the couple said Friday:
“We just found out this information yesterday. It is very sad.”
As you may know, the 19 Kids and Counting alum was arrested by Homeland Security this week, the US Marshals Service confirmed. While the reasoning was initially unclear, the 33-year-old was immediately booked and placed in an Arkansas detention center without bond. On Friday, Josh’s attorney entered a plea of not guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
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The TLC star allegedly downloaded material of a child sexual abuse on the internet, “some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019,” according to a recent press release. The Duggar brother now faces up to 20 years of prison time and potentially $250,000 fines for each charge. If he is released ahead of his July trial, a third-party guardian will be required to stay with the celeb at all times, and no children will be allowed unsupervised at that home. A bond hearing will take place on May 5 to determine this, and Josh is expected to be present in person for that meeting. He joined the arraignment Friday from a Washington County detention center.
No other family members have spoken about the charges yet, including Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s oldest son’s wife, Anna Duggar. The two have been married since 2008 and currently share six children, with one more on the way (which they announced just days before the father’s arrest).
Despite not addressing the issue yet, this certainly isn’t the first scandal Anna and her family have witnessed. Just two years ago, Homeland Security raided Josh’s Arkansas car dealership for an “ongoing federal investigation.” No information was released to determine the TV personality’s involvement in the case.
In 2015, the businessman also admitted to being addicted to porn after cheating on his wife. Gawker reported that the conservative had made an account on Ashley Madison, a website designed to help married people cheat on their spouse.
Yikes…
Not to mention, that same year, he finally made an apology for a 2006 police report which revealed the political activist had previously molested five underage girls, including his sisters Jessa Seewald and Jill, who has since distanced herself from the entire family.
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In October, the 29-year-old Counting On alum acknowledged the estrangement, admitting:
“I never expected this to happen or for it to get to this point. But I’m realizing I can’t put a timeline on healing. I love my family and they love me. I really just have to follow God’s lead and take it one day at a time.”
Certainly must be “very sad” to watch Josh continue, allegedly, to make the same very disturbing mistakes over and over again. It’s definitely disgusting to learn of these new allegations on top of his already controversial past.
[Image via Jill Duggar Dillard/Instagram & Washington County Sheriff’s Office]
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