Overview
- Joseph and Kendra Duggar filed a plea by order on Monday, Aug. 10, withdrawing earlier not-guilty pleas and allowing guilty or no-contest entries without appearing in Elm Springs District Court.
- Court officials say the filing permits a 12-month diversion of the Arkansas case while the charges remain open and a judge will determine whether to accept the plea entries and any punishment.
- The couple face four counts each of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree false imprisonment that were filed after a March 19 search of their Tontitown home by local police and the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
- Separately, Joseph Duggar faces felony Florida charges alleging lewd and lascivious molestation and lewd and lascivious behavior from a 2020 incident; he has pleaded not guilty, was released on $600,000 bond, and must have no unsupervised contact with minors.
- If convicted on the Arkansas counts, each could face up to eight years in prison and fines, and the cases will prolong public scrutiny of the family; Kendra has retained lawyer Travis Story and previously had a temporary child-contact restriction that was later lifted.