Josh Duggar was dealt another blow in his child pornography case earlier this week.
The former reality star and his defense team have been trying to pull out all of the stops ahead of his November 30 trial date. Currently, every motion has been denied, including the most recent one to suppress evidence collected from devices they seized in November 2019.
What did the judge rule regarding Josh Duggar’s motion to suppress evidence?
The legal team for Josh Duggar has attempted to get evidence downloaded from devices seized from the 19 Kids and Counting star nearly two years ago. They also mentioned a judge was “misled” by federal agents when requesting the initial warrant, the examination of the devices took too long, and the evidence became “stale.”
According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Judge Timothy Brooks ruled that the issues mentioned did not warrant a hearing. He said, “In Mr. Duggar’s case, he has not shown that federal agents acted with reckless disregard for proper procedure. And he certainly has not shown that the agents acted in bad faith. Moreover, Mr. Duggar cannot show he was prejudiced by any delay; the devices remained in law enforcement’s safekeeping throughout this period, and the probable cause warranting the initial seizure of the devices remained viable through the date of indictment.”
This ruling is a loss for the defense team as the trial date draws near.
What is Josh Duggar facing if convicted in the child pornography case?
When Josh Duggar was arrested in April, he was indicted on two charges. One charge is for receiving child pornography, and the other is for possession of child pornography.
If convicted, each count carries up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Currently, Josh lives with Lacount and Maria Reber. They were named his third-party guardians in May when Josh was let out on bail. He is allowed to see his wife, Anna Duggar, and their children with no restrictions on the amount of time.
Any day now, Josh and Anna should be welcoming their seventh child. There is speculation she may have arrived, but there hasn’t been an official announcement as of now.
Anna Duggar is sticking by her husband’s side and attended court with him recently. They were spotted outside of the courthouse looking happy, and she was still visibly pregnant.