Joseph and Kendra Duggar could see their Arkansas child endangerment case dismissed next year after backing away from their original not guilty pleas.
The former TLC personalities were due in court August 10 but instead entered a plea by order that places the case into a 12-month diversion period, according to records.
Joseph, 31, and Kendra, 28, were charged in March with four counts each of endangering the welfare of a child and four counts each of false imprisonment. They had pleaded not guilty in April.
Now, the couple must follow several conditions if they want the charges dismissed. The order states they “must not commit any new criminal offenses and must maintain good behavior” during the diversion period. Joseph and Kendra must also each pay $1,850.
If they satisfy those requirements, the case will be dismissed after 12 months.
Joseph is separately fighting criminal charges in Florida. Authorities arrested him March 18 over allegations involving a 9-year-old girl during a 2020 family trip to Panama City Beach. He has pleaded not guilty in that case.
Joseph and Kendra married in 2017 and have four children together.
After the arrests, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar stated through a spokesperson that they were “heartbroken over this entire situation.”
The statement continued, “They are praying for the victim.”