Joseph Duggar’s spouse, Kendra Duggar, disclosed during several jailhouse phone conversations that she is not currently caring for their four children.
In late March, both Joseph, aged 31, and Kendra, aged 27, found themselves in custody following a search of their residence by the Tontitown Police Department and the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
Joseph was taken into custody on Wednesday, March 18, with Kendra being detained two days later on Friday, March 20.
After being released on a $1,470 bond just 90 minutes post-arrest, Kendra revealed in a March 22 phone call with Joseph that the kids were not with her, according to People magazine.
“From what I hear, they are doing well,” she mentioned during the call.
Earlier reports from the publication indicated that after her release on the 20th, Kendra and her children were taken to a ‘private residence,’ and she was overheard speaking to them on a call with Joseph later that night.
Joseph Duggar’s wife Kendra Duggar revealed to him that she does not currently have custody of their four children in multiple jail phone calls
In late March both Joseph, 31, and Kendra, 27, were taken to jail after the Tontitown Police Department and Arkansas Department of Human Services conducted a search of their home
However, she said on a subsequent call: ‘It’s just like, when you then take my babies from me… they were who I was just going to pour my life into.’
Joseph agreed that their young kids are her ‘purpose right now.’
He is charged with lewd and lascivious behavior for molesting a victim under 12 and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person over 18.
The charges stem from allegations he touched a nine-year-old girl on her genitals and underwear in Florida during a 2020 vacation.
Kendra has been charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the second degree and four counts of false imprisonment in the second degree.
‘I think Friday has probably been my hardest day, but that’s crazy to say because Wednesday was crazy hard,’ Kendra told her husband during a March 24 collect phone call, per People.
She also told her husband, ‘I’m fighting for the kids and they’re my number one priority right now.’
He then assured her he’s ‘100% behind’ her and emphasized she ‘should be fighting for them the most.’
Kendra has been charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the second degree and four counts of false imprisonment in the second degree; Seen in her mugshot
Joseph was arrested in connection with allegations that he touched a nine-year-old girl on her genitals and underwear in Florida; Seen with his wife
At the time of the Florida vacation, Joseph and Kendra had two children and she was pregnant with their third
Kendra, who married Joseph in 2017, made clear: ‘I just want you to know, through all of this, whatever happens, that’s who’s coming first.
‘Then we’ll just see where the rest of it leads us and try to put the pieces together.’
Before ending the call, she told him that their four children love him.
Joseph has since posted a $600,000 bond and headed from Florida to his native Arkansas on Tuesday, according to the AP.
He is prohibited from unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18 by Judge Brantley Clark, according to legal documents, and due back in court on April 20.
The former 19 Kids and Counting star appeared before a judge on Tuesday morning, where he requested a jury trial.
His lawyer Albert Sauline, who is representing him in Florida, said that his team’s ‘number one goal is to make sure he is treated fairly,’ according to the AP.
On Tuesday, Duggar could be seen smirking in a newly-released mugshot after an underage accuser detailed shocking molestation claims to a detective.
The 19 Kids And County star is now facing additional charges including four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment; Duggar seen above top far right
Days ago, it emerged that Joseph’s accuser, who is currently 14, alleged she suffered ‘several incidents of sexual abuse’ when she was nine years old on a family vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida, according to the affidavit obtained by the Daily Mail.
She made the claims in a forensic interview she gave to a detective with the Tontitown Police Department, per an affidavit written by Deputy Sheriff Darrell Norris of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Lynn Haven, Florida.
At the time of the Florida vacation described in the document, Joseph and Kendra had two children and she was pregnant with their third.
The 19 Kids And Counting star is now facing additional charges including four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment, the Tontitown Police Department told TMZ.
Duggar and Kendra’s new charges in Arkansas are reportedly not related to his case in the state of Florida.
