“This entire ordeal has been very grievous. Today, God’s grace, through the love and prayers of so many, have sustained us. Our hearts and prayers are with anyone who has ever been harmed through CSAM [Child Sexual Abuse Material],” the couple said in a statement posted to their family website.
“In the days ahead, we will do all we can to surround our daughter-in-law Anna and their children with love and support,” Jim Bob and Michelle continued. “As parents, we will never stop praying for Joshua, and loving him, as we do all of our children. In each of life’s circumstances, we place our trust in God. He is our source of strength and refuge. Thank you for your prayers.”
Josh, 33, wasarrestedin April andpleaded not guiltyto the charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material.
Brendan Hoffman/Getty
The19 Kids and Countingalum, who previously facedchild molestationallegations related to his conduct as a teenager and boy, was accused ofdownloading filesdepicting child sexual abuse on May 14, 15 and 16 of 2019 on thecomputer at his then-workplace, a used car lot in Arkansas.
In May 2015, a 2006 police report surfaced and revealed that he had been investigated as a teen for inappropriately touching five underage girls. Two of his sisters subsequentlystepped forward as two of the victims. Josh publicly apologized for his “wrongdoing”
Jim Bob appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday during day six of the trial. At the time, he told PEOPLE in the courtroom he had been waiting to be cleared to attend after earlier being subpoenaed in a pretrial evidentiary hearing.
Brooksultimately ruled that he would allow it, though Jim Bob’s name did not appear on the list of potential witnesses for the actual trial.
Josh Duggar.Washington County Sheriff
Along with the family patriarch, several other of Josh’s family members appeared in court at various points during his 7-day trial, including his wifeAnnaand siblingsJill,Justin,JessaandJoy-Anna. Joy-Anna’s husband Austin Forsyth and Jill’s husband Derick Dillard also attended.
“We just wanted to, among other things, see the facts for ourselves,” he said, adding, “America is the best country to get justice.”
Center, from left: Anna and Josh Duggar (with Josh’s defense team) enter federal court in Fayetteville, Arkansas.Backgrid
Fottrelltold the jurythat he found evidence or remnants of dozens — if not more than 100 — images of child sexual abuse material, as well as several videos, on a partitioned part of the hard drive on Josh’s computer.
The defense, however, tried to prove that other people could have accessed the computer. In her testimony, Bush theorized that the criminal activity on the computer may have been a “hit and run” job, in which a hacker gained undetected remote access to a computer and then vanished after a window of time
His sentencing is expected in four months but a date hasn’t been scheduled pending a pre-sentence investigation.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
