After beingfound guiltyof possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material,Josh Duggarwas taken into police custody and posed for a new mugshot.
In the photo, taken less than an hour after news of the guilty verdict broke on Thursday, the 33-year-old19 Kids and Countingalum is smiling.
Duggargrew visibly distraughtas he and Anna, 33, spoke — his eyes tightening and face crumpling, though his mouth was covered with a mask — before he was taken away.
Josh Duggar.Washington County Sheriff
Duggar, who previously faced achild molestation scandalrelated to his conduct as a teenager, was arrested in April and accused ofdownloading filesdepicting child sexual abuse on May 14, 15 and 16 of 2019 on thecomputer at his then-workplace, a used car lot in Arkansas.
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Having been found guilty, he now faces up to 20 years of imprisonment and up to $250,000 in fines on both counts. However, prosecutors said he would be sentenced only on the count of receipt as possession is technically a lesser included offense.
Duggar’s sentencing is expected in four months but a date hasn’t been scheduled pending a pre-sentence investigation.
As they left the courtroom on Thursday — the eighth and final day of the trial — his defense team vowed to appeal the outcome.
Josh Duggar.Kris Connor/Getty
Some of Duggar’s family members havespoken outabout the verdict, including Duggar’s cousinAmy Duggar King, who praised the jury’s decision to convict.
“May the juror’s and Judge Brooks seek healing / counseling from all that was exposed to them. May the children grow up with real Godly men as father figures who will guide and protect them. May the people who were once in disbelief have their eyes opened for the first time,” shewroteon Twitter.
“May the daughters who were abused feel validated. You are truly beautiful and worthy of love,” she continued. “May there be intense counseling / healing. May there be wisdom for all those involved on how to move forward. Thank you Jesus. Justice has been served.”
Derick Dillard, who was present in the courtroom when the verdict was read,told PEOPLEwhy he and wifeJill (Duggar) Dillard, Duggar’s younger sister, had attended some parts of the trial. (Jill, 30, appeared at Wednesday’s proceeding but was not present for the verdict being read out on Thursday).
“We just wanted to, among other things, see the facts for ourselves,” he said, adding, “America is the best country to get justice.”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
