Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are speaking out after their son Joseph was arrested and accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl.
“Jim Bob and Michelle are heartbroken over this entire situation. Right now, they are focused on loving their family and helping [his wife] Kendra and her 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 victim. They ask for privacy and appreciate the kind words and prayers offered by so many.”
On March 18, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office announced that Joseph, 31, had been arrested and accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl in Florida. Page Six obtained his mugshot on March 19.
The father of four was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving a victim younger than the age of 12, as well as lewd and lascivious behavior toward a victim age 18 or older.
Joseph has received no visits from loved ones while in an Arkansas jail on child molestation charges.
Page Six confirmed that the former TLC star’s attorney was his only visitor at the Washington County Correctional Facility, where he has been since March 18.
The former “Counting On” star has also called just two people from jail, according to a call log exclusively obtained by Page Six.
Joseph and his wife, Kendra Caldwell, have been married since 2017. They share son Garrett, 7, daughters Addison, 6, and Brooklyn Praise, 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, in addition to his initial charges connected to the molestation case in Florida.
According to an affidavit obtained by People, ahead of his arrest, Joseph had a phone call with the victim’s father and “admitted his actions, stating he touched the victim over her clothing” during a 2020 Florida trip.
The former reality star allegedly went on to “admit his intentions” with the then-9-year-old “were not pure.”
The man’s 14-year-old daughter described multiple alleged instances of abuse in a forensic interview on March 18, at which point the victim’s father was instructed to call Joseph under officer supervision.
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