Kendra Duggar, the wife of reality television personality Joseph Duggar, has been charged in Arkansas with multiple counts of child endangerment following her husband’s arrest in Florida on allegations involving a minor.
According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Kendra Duggar faces four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment.
Authorities confirmed that the charges are unrelated to those filed against her husband. She is scheduled to appear in court Monday.
The charges against Kendra Duggar emerged shortly after Joseph Duggar, 31, was taken into custody in Florida on allegations of lewd and lascivious behavior involving a child under the age of 12. Investigators allege the incident took place during a family trip to Panama City Beach and involved a girl who was 9 years old at the time.
An arrest affidavit states that Joseph Duggar admitted to inappropriate conduct in a conversation with the child’s father and a detective, saying his “intentions were not pure.”
Public reaction within the Duggar family has unfolded as both cases have become known. Amy Duggar King, a cousin who also appeared in the family’s TLC series, addressed Kendra Duggar’s charges, emphasizing that the allegations against her carry weight. She said, “[These charges] are not the same as Joseph’s charges, but they are not small, and I will not treat them as small.”
She added that she would not speculate on Kendra Duggar’s role, stating such matters should be determined by law enforcement and the courts. Her statement focused on the children in the household.
“To the four children in that home — I see you. I pray for you. None of this is your fault, and none of this is your burden to carry,” she wrote. She also addressed the alleged victim in the Florida case involving Joseph Duggar, stating, “You did an incredibly brave thing by coming forward. You deserve to have every institution around you work on your behalf — not to protect the people who hurt you and not to protect the image of a family.”
King added, “I said in my original statement that I was praying for eyes to be opened. I meant it. I still mean it. But open eyes are not enough. Open eyes have to lead to accountability. For everyone. Without exception.”
Separately, Jill Duggar Dillard, Joseph Duggar’s sister, described the family’s reaction to his arrest. “We were shocked yesterday evening to learn of Jill’s brother [Joseph Duggar’s] arrest,” Dillard said. “We first learned of anything related to his charges yesterday via a text from a friend who messaged us about the recent media reports. … We are shocked and heartbroken.”
The Duggar family gained national attention through the TLC series “19 Kids and Counting,” which chronicled the lives of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 19 children. The show was canceled in 2015 following earlier abuse allegations involving another family member.
