Kendra Duggar, the wife of former reality TV star Joseph Duggar, who is charged with allegedly endangering the welfare of a minor, was released from the Washington County Detention Center on Friday (local time), hours after being taken into custody.
People reported that Kendra was released on $1,470 bond. She was arrested two days after her husband, Joseph, was arrested Wednesday in Tontitown, Arkansas. The latter is accused of “lewd and lascivious” behavior with a minor.
Citing information from the jail’s website, TMZ reported that police went to the Duggar family compound in Washington County, Arkansas on Friday with a warrant for Kendra’s arrest. However, she was not available and was later taken into custody.
Allegations against Joseph and Kendra
Duggar, who previously appeared on 19 Kids and Counting with his family and three other spin-offs of their TLC reality franchise, was accused of “illegal sexual activity.” The girl, now 14, told authorities about multiple alleged incidents involving Joseph, which she said happened in 2020, when she was nine. The incidents reportedly occurred during a family trip to Panama City Beach, Florida.
According to the report, Kendra, 27, and Joseph, 31, who have been married since 2017, each face four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment, the Tontitown Police Department (TPD) said.
On March 18, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) filed charges against the former reality TV star after authorities learned of the allegations. In a statement referring to the girl’s complaint, officials said Joseph engaged in “unlawful sexual activity” after asking the minor to sit on his lap and later next to him under the covers, where he allegedly touched her inappropriately.
Joseph Duggar Admits Allegations?
On March 17, Joseph allegedly admitted to molesting the minor in a phone call with the minor’s father and a local police department detective. According to the affidavit, Joseph also admitted that his intentions were not pure. The former TV star reportedly approached the victim and apologized for her actions, after which the incidents stopped.
Joseph waives right to extradition hearing, faces extradition to Florida
On Friday, the former TV personality waived her right to an extradition hearing in Arkansas, clearing the way to be transferred to Florida to face child molestation charges. Duggar, 31, was arrested Thursday in Tontitown, Arkansas, where he lives with his family. Authorities in Bay County, Florida, have up to 30 days to transfer him from the Washington County Jail in Arkansas, officials said.
This is the second Duggar son to face charges of child sexual abuse in court. In 2021, Joseph’s older brother Josh, 38, was convicted by a grand jury of receiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators discovered the material on his work computer at the car dealership he operated. He is currently serving a 12-year sentence in a Texas prison.
