After being charged with one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography, the judge who presided over Josh Duggar‘s hearing informed his attorneys that should he be given bail after his detention hearing on May 5, that Duggar will be required to “have a third-party custodian” and that “the residence where he would stay must be devoid of minor children.”
A Not Guilty Plea, Bail, a Potential Custodian: What’s Next For Josh Duggar?
Obviously, as a father of six children, with his seventh on the way, that would mean that the 33-year-old will not be allowed back into his home even if he is released on bond until his trial begins on July 6. But where will Duggar go and who will be appointed as his third-party custodian?
RELATED: Josh Duggar Enters Plea One Day After Arrested on Possession of Child Pornography Charges
“Given the nature of the charges against him, the court would likely require a third-party custodian that he could reside with and that would ensure compliance with conditions of bond so you all would need to get that line out and inform our probation office of who that person is so they could interview that person,” U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Erin L. Wiedemann said during the hearing, according to Fox News.
“They also will want to interview Mr. Duggar. They won’t discuss your charges, Duggar, but they will interview you for information to determine whether you’re a good person for release, in a residence where there are no minors in the home or that would be visiting unsupervised,” Judge Wiedemann continued.
It is unclear if the person who will be in charge of Duggar will be publicly named on Wednesday, if they will be court-appointed or if they will remain private. After being indicted and pleading not guilty to the charges against him, Duggar asked for the charges not to be read out loud.
It is alleged that Josh Duggar used “the internet to download child sexual abuse material. Duggar allegedly possessed this material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019,” Fox News reports.
If found guilty for his alleged crimes, Josh will face up to 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 fines for each count.