Kendra Duggar Arrest: Source Close to Family Shares Alleged Reason She Ended Up in Jail, and Could Face 8 Years
Kendra Duggar was arrested on March 20 and charged with four counts each of false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child
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Kendra and Joseph Duggar.Credit : Joseph and Kendra Duggar/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
Kendra Duggar and her husband Joseph were both charged with 4 counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and 4 counts of false imprisonment on March 20 after an investigation by local police in Arkansas
Kendra has been released from custody on bond
A spokesperson for the Duggar family said that Kendra’s charges are in no way related to the charges filed against Joseph after a 9-year-old girl accused him of sexually assaulting her on a family vacation
How did Kendra Duggar end up in jail?
Two days after the arrest of her husband Joseph Duggar, 31, following accusations he sexually assaulted a 9-year-old girl, Kendra, 27, found herself being booked into custody at an Arkansas detention facility.
A source close to the family is now telling PEOPLE why Kendra ended up behind bars on charges that could carry an eight-year prison sentence.
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Kendra Duggar.Washington County Sheriff’s Office
“I can tell you the arrest was a result of a home inspection, and the door locks being on the exterior of the doors,” a source close to the family tells PEOPLE.
A spokesperson for the family would only say that the charges filed against Kendra are “totally unrelated” to the felony charges her husband is expected to face in Florida.
“She’s not suspected or accused of participating in his alleged crime,” the spokesperson tells PEOPLE.
Joseph and Kendra have yet to comment publicly on any of the charges, but the Duggar family has made no secret about their use of locks on the doors of their children’s bedrooms.
As PEOPLE reported in 2015, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar decided the best way to protect their 19 children after learning their oldest son Josh had molested four of his sisters was to lock the children in their rooms each night.
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Joseph Duggar’s mugshot.Washington County Sheriff’s Department
On March 18, police in Arkansas arrested Joseph on a warrant out of Bay County, Fla., charging the father-of-four with lewd and lascivious behavior – molestation of a victim less than 12 years old, and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older.
BCSO Criminal Investigator Chase Norris wrote in an affidavit obtained by PEOPLE that he was told Joseph had confessed to molesting a minor while speaking with the girl’s father on March 17.
Norris wrote that he then “requested the detective and victim’s father call [Joseph]” who “admitted his actions” and said “he touched the victim over her clothing.”
Joseph also “admitted his intentions were not pure,” according to the affidavit.
That was enough for Norris to secure a warrant for Joseph’s arrest by police in Arkansas, where he is currently being held at the Washington County Detention Facility awaiting his extradition to Florida.
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Ben and Jessa Seewald, Jinger, Joy and Jana Duggar. REAR: John David, Josiah and Joseph Duggar (l to r).Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
In the wake of his arrest both the Arkansas Department of Human Services and Tontitown Police Department were involved in a search of Joseph and Kendra’s home on March 19, which led to the additional charges against the couple. These charges are unrelated to the felony charges in Florida, a police source confirmed to PEOPLE.
Just before 5 p.m. on March 20, officials in Arkansas filed additional charges against Joseph and his wife following an independent investigation into the reality star.
The couple was charged with four counts each of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree false imprisonment, a spokesperson for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office told PEOPLE.
If convicted on all eight counts, both Joseph and Kendra could be facing a prison sentence of up to 8 years and thousands in fines.
Kendra was able to post bail and was released from custody just a few hours after being booked on these charges, while Joseph remains behind bars.
Lawyers for the family have not responded to requests for comment but family members have weighed in, including Joseph’s sister Jill Dillard, who said in a statement: “Our hearts go out to the innocent juvenile victim of this unspeakable crime and her family. We pray God gives her strength, comfort and hope, and that she is able to get all the help and support she needs and deserves in the days ahead.”
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.
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