Nearly a week after he was arrested and charged with the receipt and possession of child pornography, Josh Duggar will be released from jail. KNWA News in Arkansas reported that Duggar was granted release by U.S. District Court Western District of Arkansas Judge Christy Comstock. He could be released from jail as early as Thursday, which would come exactly one week after his arrest.
Details regarding his arrest are coming out, with each new revelation more disturbing than the last. People reports that Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Gerald Faulkner, testifying for the prosecution, alleged that the former 19 Kids and Counting star downloaded computer files depicting child sex abuse on May 14, 15, and 16 of 2019, with one of the files featuring child sex abuse involving children ranging from 18 months to 12 years of age. Faulkner claimed that the images were “in the top five of the worst of the worst that I’ve ever had to examine.”
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Faulker also shared that when homeland security officials raided Duggar’s car dealership and asked to speak with him without explaining why they were there, Duggar “spontaneously” responded, “What is this about? Has someone been downloading child pornography?” When asked point-blank about looking at or possessing child pornographic material, Duggar said that he’d “rather not answer that question.”
Faulkner also said Duggar had a program called Covenant Eyes installed on his computer that he described as “accountability software,” which monitors and reports suspicious internet usage to a partner and is supposed to help people with pornography addictions. Faulkner explained that while the software was registered to the couple and that his wife, Anna, was set up to get notifications, Duggar was able to acquire the images undetected by using a password-protected network.
Duggar has been charged with a two-count indictment that alleges one count of receipt of child pornography and another count of possession of child pornography. Duggar has pleaded not guilty on both of these charges and has been released on bail. There are conditions to go along with Duggar’s release from prison. His legal team argued that he should be able to return to his home with his wife, Anna Duggar, who is currently pregnant, and their six children. However, he will not be allowed to return to his home and will be staying with a third-party custodian. The probation officer involved in this case, Diem Nguyen, recommended that Duggar remains in custody.
