Showing solidarity. Josh Duggar and Anna Duggar put on happy faces as they exited an Arkansas courthouse after a judge denied the TV personality’s requests to dismiss his child pornography case, Us Weekly can confirm.
The 19 Kids and Counting alum, 33, held onto his pregnant wife’s hand on Monday, September 27, amid his legal issues. The couple, who are expecting their seventh child together, were all smiles as they were photographed leaving the building.
Josh was indicted in April for receiving and possessing child pornography following his arrest earlier that month.
“According to court documents, Joshua James Duggar, 33, allegedly used the internet to download child sexual abuse material,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Arkansas said in a press release at the time. “Duggar allegedly possessed this material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019.”
The Counting On alum pleaded not guilty to the charges during his April arraignment and was released on bond the following month. If he’s found guilty, Josh could face up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for each count.
Last month, Josh’s legal team filed a series of motions with the court to try and get multiple charges against their client dismissed. Earlier this month, a judge set a court hearing for Monday, October 4, to discuss the various motions, including pictures that were taken at the time of Josh’s arrest, which his attorneys want thrown out.
On Monday, four of Josh’s legal team’s five requests regarding the case were denied — according to court documents obtained by Us — including the motion to suppress statements that the TV personality allegedly made to federal agents during the investigation.
The defense’s motion to dismiss the case entirely based on claims that investigators failed to “preserve potentially exculpatory evidence” was also shut down. Josh’s attorney’s attempt to suppress photographs taken of their client’s hands and feet and the motion to dismiss the indictment because of who was in charge of the Department of Homeland Security at the time was also denied.
The fifth motion, which requests the court suppress more evidence, has yet to be ruled on.
The father of six — who shares Mackynzie, 11, Michael, 10, Marcus, 8, Meredith, 6, Mason, 4, and Maryella, 22 months with Anna, 33 — is set to begin pretrial proceedings on November 18, with the trial officially starting on November 30.
