Joseph Duggar is demanding to see his children after a no contact order was put in place following his child molestation arrest, Us Weekly can exclusively reveal.
Court records viewed by Us confirm that Duggar, 31, filed to amend the no contact order on Sunday, May 17, pleading that he be allowed to have contact with his own biological children.
The former 19 Kids and Counting alum was arrested in March on suspicion of lewd and lascivious behavior involving molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older. A 14-year-old girl alleged that he molested her during a 2020 vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida, when she was 9 years old.
Duggar pleaded not guilty to child molestation following his arrest and was released on a $600,000 bond on March 31.
Part of his release conditions was that he’s not to have contact with the alleged victim or have any unsupervised visits with any minors under the age of 18, including the four children he shares with his wife, Kendra Duggar.
Us reached out to Joseph’s lawyer for comment.
The couple has been married since 2017 and had their son, Garrett David, in 2018, followed by their daughter, Addison Renee, in 2019. Their third child, daughter Brooklyn Praise, joined the family in 2021. While they have only publicly acknowledged their three kids, jail records showed that Joseph and Kendra, 27, actually welcomed a fourth child sometime before his arrest, according to People.
In the affidavit obtained by Us, Joseph’s alleged victim claimed that the former reality TV star touched her inappropriately on her thigh and over her underwear multiple times during a vacation. In an interview with a detective, the minor recalled feeling “confused” and “uncomfortable” during the alleged incidents. She further claimed that Joseph “apologized for his actions,” at which point the alleged abuse stopped.
Days after Joseph’s arrest, he was also charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment when Kendra was arrested on the same charges.
At the time, sources told Us that Kendra’s arrest had “nothing to do” with Joseph’s child sex abuse case in Florida.
“After his charge, they automatically do a home study if minors live there. They came to [Kendra’s] house,” the insider said. “Apparently, they had two rooms where the lock of the doorknob was on the outside instead of inside. They arrested her and took her kids for that, saying it’s evidence that she wrongly detains her kids.”
Kendra pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on a $1,470 bond. She was initially ordered to have no contact with her alleged victims, but on April 17, a judge signed off on her lawyer’s request to have the order lifted.
Neither Joseph nor Kendra has publicly addressed the accusations against them, but their families have.
A spokesperson for Joseph’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, told Us that they were “heartbroken” over the allegations.
“Right now, they are focused on loving their family and helping Kendra and her children during this difficult time. They are praying for the victim. They ask for privacy and appreciate the kind words and prayers offered by so many,” the statement from March 30 read.
Kendra’s family shared a similar sentiment.
“Our family is both troubled and heartbroken over the alleged actions committed by our son-in-law,” their post shared on Instagram read. “We are devastated for the young girl, a child who was courageous in every way to share her truth. We stand by her, both in support and prayer, and forever will.”
