Joseph Duggar and his wife Kendra have altered their pleas in a child endangerment and false imprisonment case in Arkansas, withdrawing their previous not guilty pleas. The couple was scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
This change comes after they were charged in March following an investigation that began when Joseph was arrested in Florida for an unrelated charge of lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim under 12 years old. During a search of the Duggars' Tontitown home in connection with the Florida case, authorities reportedly found locks on the exterior of their children's bedroom doors.
As a result, Joseph and Kendra were each charged with four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment. Kendra was arrested on March 20 and booked into the same jail as her husband. The couple avoided appearing in court by submitting a plea by order, allowing them to change their pleas to guilty or no contest.
If convicted on all eight counts, the Duggars face a potential sentence of up to eight years in prison and significant fines. They have four children together: Garrett, Justus, Addison, and Brooklyn.
Kendra was released on a $1,470 bond shortly after her arrest, while Joseph was released from a Florida jail after posting a $600,000 bond on April 1. A previous court order restricting Kendra's contact with her children was overturned following a motion filed by their attorney.
Joseph's Florida case remains separate from these developments. He has pleaded not guilty to the molestation charges, waived his arraignment, and requested a jury trial. According to an affidavit, his accuser alleged that incidents of sexual abuse occurred during a family vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida, when she was nine years old. The affidavit states that Joseph allegedly admitted to his actions during a phone call with law enforcement, claiming his "intentions were not pure."