Members of the Duggar family are addressing the child pornography charges against eldest son and brother, Josh Duggar.
“We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time," said Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar in a statement posted to their website. "The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious. It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light, and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner. We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family.”
Jinger (Dugger) Vuolo posted to Instagram shortly after the charges were made public Friday.
"We are disturbed to hear of the charges against Josh," the statement on Instagram said. "While this case must go through the legal system, we want to make it clear that we absolutely condemn any form of child abuse and fully support the authorities and judicial process in their pursuit of justice."
Before the formal charges were announced, Jill (Duggar) Dillard and her husband, Derick, told People in a statement, "We just found out this information yesterday. It is very sad."
In recent years, Dillard has distanced herself from the family.
After the charges, Derick told Radar, "We were surprised. This is a very sad time for our family. That's our only comment at this time."
A release from the United States Attorney's Office of the Western District of Arkansas stated Duggar "allegedly used the internet to download child sexual abuse material." The release said that "Duggar allegedly possessed this material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019."
Duggar pleaded not guilty. He had his first appearance in court via Zoom on Friday morning, after being arrested in northwest Arkansas Thursday by federal authorities.
"One stipulation Judge Wiedermann requested is for Duggar to have a third-party custodian should he be released on bond," KNWA, a local news broadcaster in Northwest Arkansas, reported. "Also, the residence where he would stay must be devoid of minor children."
If convicted, Duggar faces up to 20 years of imprisonment and fines up to $250,000 on each count.
