Joseph Duggar and wife Kendra make shock last-minute change to their not guilty pleas for child endangerment

By ELIOT FORCE, US NEWS REPORTER and ALEXA CIMINO, US REPORTER Published: 23:07, 10 August 2026 | Updated: 23:17, 10 August 2026 Former reality TV star Joseph Duggar and his wife Kendra have suddenly withdrawn their not guilty pleas on child endangerment and false imprisonment charges. The couple were set to appear at a court in Arkansas today before the last-minute change. They were hit with charges in March following a search of their home which was conducted after Joseph was arrested in connection with a separate case in Florida where he was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12-years-old. Officers searched the couple's Tontitown home and discovered locks on the exteriors of the doors leading to the children's bedrooms. They charged the couple with four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment. Kendra, 27, was arrested on March 20 and booked into the same jail where her 19 Kids and Counting star husband was being held in awaiting extradition over the Florida case. The couple avoided having to appear in court in Arkansas on Monday by submitting a plea by order, which will allow them to change their plea to guilty or no contest.  Joseph's separate Florida case is unaffected by the development and is expected to proceed as normal. He has pleaded not guilty to the Florida charges, waived his arraignment and demanded a jury trial.  Joseph Duggar, 31, and his wife Kendra, 27, have rescinded their not guilty pleas to child endangerment and false imprisonment charges in Arkansas The couple avoided appearing in court Monday by submitting a plea by order, allowing them to change their pleas to guilty or no contest (pictured: Joseph Duggar) Joseph and Kendra were each charged with four counts of child endangerment and four counts of false imprisonment after authorities allegedly found locks on the exteriors of their children's bedroom doors The judge presiding over the case is now expected to accept the couple's filing and determine their sentence. If convicted on all eight counts, the Duggars face up to eight years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.  The couple share four children together, sons Garrett and Justus and daughters Addison and Brooklyn.  Kendra was released on a $1,470 bond 90 minutes after her arrest. Joseph was released from the Florida jail he was extradited to after posting a $600,000 bond on April 1. A judge initially issued an order forbidding her to have contact with her kids, however, this was overturned after attorney Travis Story, who has represented the Duggars in the Arkansas case, filed a motion. The Daily Mail has contacted Story for comment.  Joseph's accuser in his Florida case, who is currently 14, alleged she suffered 'several incidents of sexual abuse' when she was nine years old on a family vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida, according to the affidavit obtained by the Daily Mail.  She made the claims in a forensic interview she gave to a detective with the Tontitown Police Department, per an affidavit written by Deputy Sheriff Darrell Norris of the Bay County Sheriff's Office in Lynn Haven, Florida. At the time of the Florida vacation described in the document, the couple had two children and Kendra was pregnant with their third. Joseph's accuser told a detective that during the Florida vacation, she 'would sit on the defendant’s lap' and he would 'cradle [her] with his arms,' the affidavit states. As the holiday progressed, Joseph's behavior is said to have evolved, according to the underage girl's account of events as relayed in the legal document. Joseph allegedly requested that she 'sit on the couch beside [him],' whereupon he supposedly 'covered the parties with a blanket,' per the affidavit. Joseph was separately arrested in Florida on March 18 and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim under 12. He denies the charges Joseph's accuser alleged she was sexually abused when she was nine during a family vacation in Panama City Beach, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Daily Mail. He pleaded not guilty The 19 Kids And County star's separate Florida molestation case is unaffected by the couple's change of plea in Arkansas and is expected to proceed The alleged victim accused Joseph of fondling and groping her under the blanket. She claimed he 'eventually approached the victim and apologized for his actions' and then 'the incidents stopped occurring,' the affidavit claims. After the underage girl gave her forensic interview to the Arkansas detective, Deputy Sheriff Darrell Norris in Florida 'requested the detective and victim’s father call Joseph' in order to obtain a confession from him. The affidavit claims that during the call, Joseph 'admitted his actions, stating he touched the victim over her clothing' and 'admitted his intentions were not pure.'