Joseph Duggar is seeking to have the no-contact order that was put in place following his child molestation arrest amended to allow him to see his four children, whom he shares with wife Kendra Caldwell.
Us Weekly broke the news (and The Ashley can confirm) that Joe filed paperwork on Sunday–- one day before the 31-year-old’s first arraignment in Florida– to amend the no-contact order that was put in place back in March, which has prevented the father of four from having contact with his children.
Currently, Joe is not permitted to have any unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18, even his own kids.
At Joe’s first arraignment in Florida on Monday, Joe’s attorney (who appeared via Zoom) once again entered a formal plea of not guilty for the former “Counting On” star. (Joe was not present.)
The motion to amend the no-contact order was mentioned during the hearing. While they tossed around the idea of addressing the motion at a hearing on Wednesday, Joe’s attorney stated that he was OK with delaying it until June, due to all that may be required to be done before the judge makes his ruling.
“In light of the fact that the State may need more time to contact family members, perhaps, I’m not sure, I don’t object to doing it in June,” Joe’s attorney, Albert Sauline, stated. “There will be another motion filed anyway, so that might work better if we do it in June.”
The judge, however, decided to rule on the no-contact amendment on July 14, which is the date he had already chosen for Joe’s pre-trial hearing.
As The Ashley previously told you, the former Counting On star was arrested in March after a 14-year-old girl disclosed in a forensic interview several sexual abuse incidents involving Joe, which allegedly occurred during a 2020 vacation in Florida when the victim was nine years old.
In March, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) in Florida claimed that the victim had come forward and told her parents about what Joe had allegedly done to her in 2020, prompting the girl’s parents to contact police. The victim’s father then confronted Joe about the alleged crimes and Joe reportedly admitted his actions to the victim’s father and to detectives.
Days later, Joe was arrested charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving molestation of a victim less than 12 years old, and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and on March 31, he was released on a $600,000 bond. Part of his release conditions state that Joe is not to have any contact with the alleged victim or have any unsupervised visits with anyone under the age of 18– including his own children.
Earlier this month, Joe and his legal team also filed court documents requesting that the judge allow them to question individuals from the Department of Children and Families (DCF), Child Protection Team, as well as any other law enforcement agents involved in the investigation who may have spoken to the alleged victim in his ongoing case, as Joe insists that he has the right to view the evidence against him.
Joe and his team acknowledged that there is a confidentiality privilege in Florida that prevents the release of information and identifying details of the person reporting the alleged abuse, therefore the individual will not have to testify at the deposition or produce any records or evidence unless they are ordered by the court to do so. However, Joe and his legal team argue that they are “entitled” to receive the testimonies of all the witnesses, as well as “records and evidence in the possession of the witnesses for a fair determination of [Joe’s] guilt or innocence at trial.”
While the identity of the alleged victim has not been revealed, a source told Us Weekly last month that she is someone who is close to the family of Joe’s wife Kendra– a claim that had been widely speculated on social media following the news of Joe’s arrest.
As you know, following Joe’s arrest in March, unrelated charges were filed in Arkansas against both Joe and Kendra, with each receiving four counts of false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a minor.
Joe and Kendra have both pleaded not guilty to the alleged crimes and their next court date for their case in Arkansas is set for August 10.
Last month, the no-contact order against Kendra was dropped, allowing her to once again have contact with the couple’s four kids.
RELATED STORY: Josh Duggar Slams Parents for Prioritizing TV Shows & Their “Public Image” in Jail Messages Sent After His 2021 Conviction
(Photos: TLC; Instagram)
4 Responses
He should never be allowed access to his children- you should lose that when you are a pedo.
Taking his admissions into account, I’d be questioning just why he so desperately wants contact with small children (any, his or otherwise). That’s pretty damn sick to even ask for, much less expect or demand.
So wait…
He ADMITTED that he committed these heinous crimes to the parents & THE POLICE but he still pled not guilty?
Wtf?
He admitted to sexually assaulting a child….. why the fuck does he think he has any right to talk to any of his children after that?!