Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are speaking out after their son Joseph was arrested and charged with sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl.
“Jim Bob and Michelle are heartbroken by this entire situation. Right now, they love their family and are focused on supporting (wife) Kendra and their children during this difficult time,” a spokesperson for the couple said in a statement obtained by Page Six on Monday.
“They are praying for the victims. They ask for privacy and appreciate the kind words and prayers that so many have offered.”
On March 18, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office announced that Joseph, 31, was arrested in Florida on suspicion of sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl. Page Six obtained his mug shot on March 19th.
The father of four was charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a victim under the age of 12 and lewd and lascivious acts with a victim over the age of 18.
Joseph was not visited by his loved ones while incarcerated in an Arkansas prison on child sexual abuse charges.
Page Six confirmed that the former TLC star’s attorney is the only visitor at the Washington County Correctional Facility and has been staying at the facility since March 18th.
The former “Counting On” star only called two people from prison, according to phone records obtained exclusively by Page Six.
Joseph and his wife Kendra Caldwell have been married since 2017 and have son Garrett, 7, daughters Addison, 6, Brooklyn Plays, 5, and son Justus, 3.
Caldwell, 27, was arrested in Arkansas on March 20 and charged with four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment.
Joseph was charged with the same charges in addition to the original charges related to the sexual abuse case in Florida.
Before his arrest, Joseph spoke on the phone with the victim’s father and “admitted his actions, stating that he touched the victim over her clothes” during a trip to Florida in 2020, according to an affidavit obtained by People magazine.
The former reality star reportedly said the then-nine-year-old boy “wasn’t innocent” and “admitted his intentions.”
The man’s 14-year-old daughter testified about multiple allegations of abuse during a forensic interview on March 18, at which point the victim’s father was instructed to call Joseph under police supervision.
