Update: Josh Duggar has been granted bail and will be released from jail as he awaits his trial after being charged for receiving and possessing child pornography in July.
The 33-year-old father of almost seven will be released on May 5 to designated third-party custodians, Lacount and Maria Reber. They had been described as “close friends” of the Duggar family. He will be monitored with GPS tracking and not allowed to visit his own home, wife, or children. Judge Christy Comstock said she “cannot in good conscience” release Duggar to his wife and six children.
During Josh Duggar’s detention, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Gerald Faulkner testified for the prosecution.
During his testimony, Agent Faulkner alleged that Duggar downloaded computer files depicting child sex abuse on three different days in May 2019; the 14th, 15th, and 16th. According to Yahoo!, the files were first flagged by a police detective in Little Rock, Arkansas.
RELATED: Josh Duggar Asks to Be Allowed to Go Home Despite Being Charged With Possession of Child Porn
The detective went on to trace the downloads back to an IP address that belongs to Duggar’s computer at this workplace, the Wholesale Motorcars dealership. Agent Faulkner then detailed the disturbing nature of one of the files that was downloaded.
Faulkner admitted that one of the files allegedly found on Josh Duggar’s computer revealed the sex abuse of a child ranging from 18 months to 12 years of age. He added that the images were “in the top five of the worst of the worst that I’ve ever had to examine.”
Back in 2019, when Homeland Security first raided Duggar’s workplace, Agent Faulkner revealed that the 33-year-old had no idea why they were there when he asked, “What is this about? Has someone been downloading child pornography?”
From that point, according to Faulkner, when Duggar was asked if he had seen or had child sex abuse materials, he answered by saying, “I’d rather not answer that question.”
Additionally, Duggar had software on his computer called “Covenant Eyes.” Faulkner described this as an “accountability software” that would report offensive or distasteful internet usage to the person’s partner.
This software is often used to help people with porn addictions. The program was registered to Duggar, Faulkner testified, and the report would go to his wife of 13 years, Anna, who is currently pregnant with their seventh child.
However, Duggar had allegedly been using a password-protect network which did not register through the “Covenant Eyes” software.
RELATED: Josh Duggar Won’t Be Allowed to Return Home If Given Bail, So Where Will He Go?
It has yet to be determined whether or not Josh will be awarded bail. At the start of the hearing, Duggar’s legal team asked the court to “permit him to return home to his immediate family” ahead of his July trial.
This motion comes after U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Erin L. Wiedemann told the father that if he was granted bail he would be required to “have a third-party custodian” and that “the residence where he would stay must be devoid of minor children.”
Contents
- 1 Update: Josh Duggar has been granted bail and will be released from jail as he awaits his trial after being charged for receiving and possessing child pornography in July.
- 2 Faulkner admitted that one of the files allegedly found on Josh Duggar’s computer revealed the sex abuse of a child ranging from 18 months to 12 years of age. He added that the images were “in the top five of the worst of the worst that I’ve ever had to examine.”
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