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Josh Duggar released from jail ahead of child pornography trial

Josh Duggar released from jail ahead of child pornography trial
mr duggar Did you download child pornography onto your computer? What do you have to say to the victims of sexual abuse portrayed in those videos? You have a message for your family? Yeah.
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Josh Duggar released from jail ahead of child pornography trial
Josh Duggar, a star from the television show "19 Kids and Counting," was released from the Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Thursday.Duggar did not answer questions from reporters as he left the jail and got into a vehicle.Judge Christy Comstock will allow Duggar to be released on bond ahead of his trial in July, as long as he follows certain conditions.According to those conditions, Duggar cannot have contact with any minors other than his own children and his wife must be present during that contact. Duggar must wear GPS monitoring, his movements are restricted and he must report to a probation officer.Duggar will not be allowed to access any internet-capable device, including computers, smartphones, gaming systems, or Smart TVs.Duggar pleaded not guilty in federal court last week to charges of receipt and possession of child pornography.A federal indictment obtained by sister station 40/29 accuses Duggar of knowingly receiving child pornography and possessing it in May 2019. It includes images of minors under the age of 12. Duggar cannot be released to his home on his parents' property, where there are a large number of children, the judge ruled.A pastor and his wife will let Duggar stay with them when released. The pastor is friends with Josh Duggar's father, Jim Bob Duggar.The couple will be third-party custodians, meaning they will report any violations of Duggar's conditions of release. They must password-protect all their electronic devices and cannot share their password.The prosecution had argued that Josh Duggar is a threat to the community because of the nature of the child pornography he is accused of downloading, his ability to use computer skills to hide his behavior and his alleged past abuse.The defense argued that Duggar had known about the investigation for more than a year before his arrest and continued to live in Springdale.They noted his family roots in northwest Arkansas and that Duggar turned himself in when requested. Duggar, 33, is being held in the Washington County Detention Center for the Department of Homeland Security. He was arrested in Springdale, Arkansas, last week.The Department of Homeland Security traced an IP address linked to child pornography downloaded from BitTorrent to a computer used at Josh Duggar's Wholesale Motor Cars on Highway 412.A DHS special agent testified that he executed a search warrant on the property and seized two computers and Duggar's cell phone. They found that child pornography had been downloaded onto his computer. The agent described the child pornography in the case as depicting some of the worst abuse he's ever seen in his career.The computer contained the Covenant Eyes software that was developed to discourage users to access pornography. However, the computer had been set up with a partition that can be used to get around the Covenant Eyes software. The partition used a password Duggar had used in the past for social media and work, the agent testified.Text messages sent from Duggar's phone show he was at Wholesale Motor Cars when the child pornography was downloaded, the agent said.A defense attorney noted that the agent who testified is not a computer expert and did not conduct any of the reviews himself.Josh Duggar is the oldest of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's 19 children.The two released a statement Friday afternoon:"We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. 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."Anna is Josh Duggar's wife, Anna Renee Duggar.He served as executive director of the Family Research Council, and led rallies against LGBTQ rights, including a seven-state "Faith, Family, Freedom" tour.He resigned from the Family Research Council after sexual misconduct allegations made when he was a juvenile were reported. He then went into what his family called "long-term rehab."

Josh Duggar, a star from the television show "19 Kids and Counting," was released from the Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Thursday.

Duggar did not answer questions from reporters as he left the jail and got into a vehicle.

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Judge Christy Comstock will allow Duggar to be released on bond ahead of his trial in July, as long as he follows certain conditions.

According to those conditions, Duggar cannot have contact with any minors other than his own children and his wife must be present during that contact. Duggar must wear GPS monitoring, his movements are restricted and he must report to a probation officer.

Duggar will not be allowed to access any internet-capable device, including computers, smartphones, gaming systems, or Smart TVs.

Duggar pleaded not guilty in federal court last week to charges of receipt and possession of child pornography.

A federal indictment obtained by sister station 40/29 accuses Duggar of knowingly receiving child pornography and possessing it in May 2019. It includes images of minors under the age of 12.

Duggar cannot be released to his home on his parents' property, where there are a large number of children, the judge ruled.

A pastor and his wife will let Duggar stay with them when released. The pastor is friends with Josh Duggar's father, Jim Bob Duggar.

The couple will be third-party custodians, meaning they will report any violations of Duggar's conditions of release. They must password-protect all their electronic devices and cannot share their password.

The prosecution had argued that Josh Duggar is a threat to the community because of the nature of the child pornography he is accused of downloading, his ability to use computer skills to hide his behavior and his alleged past abuse.

The defense argued that Duggar had known about the investigation for more than a year before his arrest and continued to live in Springdale.

They noted his family roots in northwest Arkansas and that Duggar turned himself in when requested.

Duggar, 33, is being held in the Washington County Detention Center for the Department of Homeland Security. He was arrested in Springdale, Arkansas, last week.

The Department of Homeland Security traced an IP address linked to child pornography downloaded from BitTorrent to a computer used at Josh Duggar's Wholesale Motor Cars on Highway 412.

A DHS special agent testified that he executed a search warrant on the property and seized two computers and Duggar's cell phone. They found that child pornography had been downloaded onto his computer.

The agent described the child pornography in the case as depicting some of the worst abuse he's ever seen in his career.

The computer contained the Covenant Eyes software that was developed to discourage users to access pornography. However, the computer had been set up with a partition that can be used to get around the Covenant Eyes software. The partition used a password Duggar had used in the past for social media and work, the agent testified.

Text messages sent from Duggar's phone show he was at Wholesale Motor Cars when the child pornography was downloaded, the agent said.

A defense attorney noted that the agent who testified is not a computer expert and did not conduct any of the reviews himself.

Josh Duggar is the oldest of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's 19 children.

The two released a statement Friday afternoon:

"We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. 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."

Anna is Josh Duggar's wife, Anna Renee Duggar.

He served as executive director of the Family Research Council, and led rallies against LGBTQ rights, including a seven-state "Faith, Family, Freedom" tour.

He resigned from the Family Research Council after sexual misconduct allegations made when he was a juvenile were reported. He then went into what his family called "long-term rehab."