Joseph Duggar and his wife Kendra have reunited following their recent arrests.
The pair are reportedly together in Arkansas ahead of their first court appearance in a child welfare case, according to People.
The couple – who share four children – reunited just one day after Joseph, 31, was released by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) in Florida. His lawyer Albert J. Sauline III told the publication that he flew back home to Arkansas with his father Jim Bob Duggar, 60.
Joseph – who shot to fame with his parents and 18 siblings on the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting – was arrested on charges of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under 12 and lewd and lascivious conduct by a person 18 or older.
Both he and Kendra, 27, were later charged with four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment following a search of their home, in a case unrelated to the Florida allegations.
The former reality TV stars are scheduled to appear in an Arkansas courtroom on April 29.
Joseph Duggar, 31, and his wife Kendra, 27, have reunited following their recent arrests and are together in Arkansas ahead of their first court appearance in a child welfare case, as per People
If convicted on all eight counts, Joseph and Kendra could each face up to eight years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.
Joseph made his initial court appearance just hours after being booked by the BCSO on March 31, and was released later that day after posting a $600,000 bond.
On March 19 – a day after Joseph’s arrest on charges of lewd and lascivious molestation – the Tontitown Police Department and Arkansas Department of Human Services conducted a search of the couple’s home.
The Arkansas officials then filed additional charges against Joseph and new charges against his wife.
‘I can tell you the arrest was a result of a home inspection, and the door locks being on the exterior of the doors,’ a source previously told People regarding the charges.
Kendra posted bail and was released just hours after being booked on March 20, while Joseph – who was already in custody – had the charges added to his jail docket.
Neither has appeared in court in that case yet, with officials citing the ongoing investigation as the reason for the delay.
Joseph and Kendra wed in 2017 and are parents to four young children – ages seven, six, five and three.
Joseph, who was initially arrested on child molestation charges and has since returned to Arkansas after posting a $600,000 bond, is now banned from having any unsupervised contact with minors – including his own four children; Seen in a mugshot on March 18
Both he and his Kendra were later charged with four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment following a search of their home; Seen in a mugshot on March 31
Two days after Joseph’s arrest, his wife was taken into custody on March 20 – but released later the same day after posting a $1,470 bond; Seen in a mugshot in March 20
The former reality TV stars are scheduled to appear in an Arkansas courtroom on April 29
If convicted on all eight counts, Joseph and Kendra could each face up to eight years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines
Joseph and Kendra wed in 2017 and are parents to four young children – ages seven, six, five and three
Joseph was arrested following shocking child molestation allegations involving a nine-year-old girl during a Florida vacation in 2020.
He is now banned from having any unsupervised contact with minors – including his own four children.
Joseph told his wife that his faith kept him strong behind bars, in a jailhouse phone call obtained by Us Weekly on Wednesday.
‘I just went into my prayer closet, and I had a really good time praying for you and for the kids and even for Mama and Joy, because they’ve been assisting you a lot,’ he told her.
‘I found Psalm 54 has been one that I’ve been praying. I changed kind of the personal pronouns and just put your name or different [people’s] name on it. It’s been really comforting.’
He also spoke of his mom Michelle Duggar, saying, ‘I know that this weighs on her heavily.’
‘You can let her know that I’m very, very thankful for her support for you, and I know she’s done a lot, probably in this whole journey of stuff,’ he said.
‘Just make sure she knows that I love her. I was praying Psalm 54 over her too, because I feel like the attacks that are coming to our family are also coming probably to her, or she feels the pressure of it.’
His father Jim Bob slammed his son’s ‘terrible decisions’ in a letter sent while Joseph was in jail.
Jim Bob sent an email to his son while he was being held at an Arkansas detention facility before being extradited to Florida.
‘You have made some terrible decisions, but God has already forgiven you if you have asked him,’ he wrote, according to People.
Duggar’s father Jim Bob Duggar slammed his son’s ‘terrible decisions’ in a letter sent while Joseph was in jail; Jim Bob and wife Michelle seen above in 2010
Joseph’s older brother Josh, 38 (pictured in a mugshot) is currently serving a prison sentence in connection with his 2021 conviction for receiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct
The family shot to fame on the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting
He urged Joseph to ‘accept the situation’ and warned him that he will ‘most likely deal with major consequences for several years to come.’
Jim Bob also emphasized that both he and his wife, Michelle, still ‘love’ Joseph, but made it clear that he faces ‘a long road ahead.’
In a striking message, Jim Bob added, ‘[Y]ou can also point people to Christ even through the time you’re in jail and prison.’ He also referenced a Biblical figure, sharing, ‘David in the Bible royally messed up, but he repented and became a man after God’s own heart.’
He concluded the letter by assuring Joseph, ‘God is not finished with your life’ and promised, ‘we’ll keep praying for you.’
Joseph’s arrest marks the latest legal trouble involving a member of the reality TV family.
His older brother Josh, 38, is currently serving a prison sentence in connection with his 2021 conviction for receiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Counting On, the spin-off of 19 Kids & Counting, was cancelled by TLC in 2021. The axing came after Josh’s arrest.
The original show, which began airing in 2008, was centered on Michelle and Jim Bob, the devout Arkansas couple who named all 19 of their children with the first letter J.
For those who have been impacted by sexual abuse, text ‘STRENGTH’ to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
