Former 19 Kids and Counting star Joseph Duggar was arrested on March 19 in Arkansas, on an alleged child molestation charge.
Joseph was charged due to alleged lewd and lascivious behavior toward a child under 12 years old, per the Bay County Sheriff's Office in Panama City's arrest affidavit.
On March 20, Joseph's wife Kendra Duggar was charged with four counts of alleged endangerment of the welfare of a child in the second degree, as well as four counts of alleged false imprisonment in the second degree along with her husband.
© InstagamThe charges came only five years after Joseph's brother Josh Duggar was convicted of downloading child sexual abuse images from the internet.
Back when Josh was sentenced to jail, Joseph shared on Counting On that learning about what happened "broke [his] heart," and that he was shocked to find out his brother was "living such a secret [life]."
© InstagramJosh's reaction
Josh's attorney expressed to Us Weekly: "Josh Duggar does not know the details of the claims that have been made against his brother, Joseph. But, he knows the media frenzy that any incident regarding his family creates."
The lawyer added: "He feels for his brother because everything is amplified out of proportion by the media interest in his family. This makes the pain of the criminal justice process exponentially worse."
He confirmed: "Josh prays for his brother and he hopes that he can stay strong. He too has felt the crushing wave of accusation that is powered by the media spectacle to which his family is subjected."
© InstagramJessa Duggar Seewald's reaction
On March 20, Joseph's sister Jessa Duggar Seewald initially shared on social media: "We learned of this saddening news along with the rest of the world on Wednesday, and we are in complete shock. Our hearts are grieving for this innocent young girl, and we know this is deeply grievous to God, who cares tenderly for children and the vulnerable. We are keeping her in our prayers."
She added: "As a family, we are pulling together to support Kendra and her kids during this difficult time." Jessa deleted the message of support shortly after she shared it.
© InstagramJill Duggar Dillard's reaction
Right after Joseph's arrest, his sister Jill Duggar Dillard shared in a blog post online: "We strongly condemn abuse. We support the rule of law and hope that justice will be achieved. 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."
She added: "We love our sister-in-law, Kendra, and our four nieces and nephews and pray that they feel loved and supported during this time as we cannot imagine the indescribable pain they feel as they process and grieve everything."
The statement regarding Kendra was made prior to her charges, however, the blog post remains live.
