Josh Duggar to be released, but not allowed to return home
Josh Duggar request to be released from an Arkansas detention centre has been granted. However, he will not be allowed to return home. The 33-year-old former reality star, arrested in Arkansas last month, appeared in court on Wednesday after pleading not guilty to receiving and possessing material depicting the sexual abuse of children.
After declaring that prosecutors had not provided "clear and convincing evidence" to keep Duggar in custody, a judge granted his release upon several conditions. Duggar is to be released on Thursday but cannot return home to his pregnant wife, Anna, and their six children. Instead, he will be released to a third-party custodial couple, family friends of the Duggars, and confined to their home with GPS electronic monitoring.
Duggar is allowed to have unlimited contact with his children if his wife is present. However, he is not permitted to contact any other minor child, including his siblings, five of whom are still under 18.
Duggar must also submit to supervision by the U.S. Probation Office and is to be restricted to the third-party custodial residence at all times, except for court-ordered obligations, work, or other activities approved in advance. He cannot possess or review erotica of any kind, access or utilize any internet device or obtain passwords from his third party custodians.
He was also ordered to surrender his passport and is forbidden from leaving the United States, with travel restricted to the western district of Arkansas.
According to court docs previously obtained by Et, in May 2019, Duggar allegedly used the internet to download the material, which depicts the sexual abuse of children under 12. If convicted, Duggar faces up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000 on each count. A pretrial hearing is set for July 1, while the trial is scheduled to begin on July 6.
Following Duggar's arrest, his sister, Jill, and her husband, Derek Dillard, exclusively said, "We just learned this information. It is unfortunate."
"Josh Duggar has been charged in a two-count indictment. He has pled not guilty to both charges, and we intend to defend this case aggressively and thoroughly," the statement read. "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."
Additionally, Duggar's parents, Jim Bob and Michelle, released a statement on their website after their son pleaded not guilty.
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