Josh Duggar has been granted 'unlimited' visitation with his kids after his release from jail with one caveat: wife Anna Duggar must be there, too. Josh isn't allowed to see any other minors.
Josh Duggar will be allowed to see his six young children as he awaits his July trial for alleged possession of child pornography, an Arkansas court ruled on May 5. Judge Christy Comstock said that she “cannot in good conscience” let Josh, 33, to return home to his pregnant wife, Anna Duggar, and their minor children. However, he may have “unlimited contact” with the kids — if Anna is present.
Aside from his own six kids — Maryella, 17 months, Mason, 3, Meredith, 5, Marcus, 7, Michael, 9, and Mackynzie, 11 — Josh is barred from having contact with any minors, including his many nieces and nephews. “I recommend that you govern your actions by thinking about where you might go and who you might encounter,” Judge Comstock said during the hearing. “You might not ought to go to birthday parties, family dinners, church activities.”
The judge released Josh to family friends Lacount and Maria Reber. He will remain on house arrest until his July hearing and is required to wear a GPS tracking device at all times. Josh also must check in with a probation officer and is not allowed to use the internet or any electronics, or possess a firearm. He was also required to surrender his passport. Should he violate these terms, an extra 10 years could be tacked onto his sentence.
The former 19 Kids and Counting star faces up to 20 years in prison for each count of possessing and receiving child pornography after his April 29 arrest. Agent Gerald Faulkner from Homeland Security testified that Josh allegedly had a computer containing disturbing images, including one file depicting child sex abuse of kids ranging from 18 months to 12 years of age. Faulkner, according to PEOPLE, called it “in the top five of the worst of the worst that I’ve ever had to examine.”
Josh has pleaded “not guilty” to all charges. This is Josh’s second sexual abuse scandal. In 2015, it was revealed that Josh had molested five girls when he was a teenager, including sisters Jill and Jessa Duggar. He was investigated by police in 2006, but the family decided to keep the scandal private. Josh apologized publicly in 2015, and 19 Kids and Counting was canceled.
