This is the clean-cut Christian couple who have agreed to take in accused pedophile Josh Duggar while he awaits trial on federal child pornography charges, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
Duggar will be released from jail today to live with designated third-party custodians, LaCount Reber and his wife Maria, at their home in Lafayette, Arkansas.
The pair – close friends with the Duggar family – agreed to house the father-of-six despite authorities revealing this week that he kept a sickening trove of 200 child porn images on his computer.
Duggar, best known for being a part of his family’s reality show, 19 Kids and Counting, won’t be allowed to return home to his pregnant wife Anna and their six children.
Instead, he will be electronically monitored and living under home detention with the Rebers until his trial on July 6 trial for possession of child pornography, which he denies.
LaCount Reber and his wife Maria, who are close friends of the Duggar family, have agreed to take in Josh at their home in Lafayette, Arkansas
Josh Duggar pleaded not guilty to federal child porn charges on Friday during a virtual court hearing after turning himself in
LaCount, 49, is an MRI tech with the US Department of Veterans Affairs and was previously a volunteer chaplain at the Washington County Detention Center, where Duggar has been locked up since his April 29 arrest.
He and Maria, 53, a fulltime homemaker, were described at a bail hearing Wednesday as longstanding church friends of Duggar patriarch Jim Bob and his wife Michelle.
The Duggars turned to them for help in particular because of LaCount’s experience within the prison system
The Duggars turned to them for help in particular because of LaCount’s experience within the prison system.
The couple agreed to keep their internet pin-protected and remove their rifles and six pistols from the house. They are required by law to tip off authorities if Duggar breaches his bail conditions.
LaCount and Maria have two kids of their own, Lemuel, 24, who studied biochemistry at the University of Arkansas and recently married.
Their daughter Hannah, 22, a talented classical pianist, teaches music out of the family home but the court heard her students would always be around an adult.
Judge Christy Comstock of the Western District of Arkansas granted Duggar his freedom with a strict list of conditions despite probation authorities opposing his release.
The Rebers told the court that they did not know Josh well, but were friends with Jim Bob and had known the Duggars since 2015.
They said they agreed as part of their faith, and their belief in helping people in need.
Maria said she initially had reservations about being alone in the house with Duggar, but added: ‘We want to help the family and minister to them. My husband has made the decision and I’m here to support that decision.’
Judge Comstock asked about the internet connections in the house and the Rebers said there was no WiFi, only a dial-up connection.
The couple said they were prepared to remove their firearms from the house as a condition of hosting Josh, and agreed that if Josh violated the terms of his bail they would tell probation officers.
‘Not your husband, not Jim Bob Duggar, not elders in the church,’ Judge Comstock warned.
Under the release to third-party custodians, Duggar must wear an ankle monitor, have a probation officer’s permission to leave the couple’s home, cannot access the internet, or be inside a residency where firearms are stored.
LaCount and Maria have two kids of their own, Lemuel, 24, who studied biochemistry at the University of Arkansas and recently married. Their daughter Hannah, 22, a talented classical pianist, teaches music out of the family home but the court heard her students would always be around an adult
LaCount, 49, is an MRI tech with the US Department of Veterans Affairs and was previously a volunteer chaplain at the Washington County Detention Center
During the hearing, Homeland Security special agent Gerald Faulkner testified that the images found on Duggar’s computer were ‘in the top five of the worst of the worst that I’ve ever had to examine’.
Investigators seized Duggar’s computer and cellphone during a 2019 raid on his now-closed car dealership, Wholesale Motorcars.
The Rebers told the court that they did not know Josh well, but were friends with Jim Bob and had known the Duggars since 2015
The agent testified they found 65 child porn images showing a young girl.
Agents also allegedly found a two-minute video that showed a man performing sex acts on two young girls, aged between five and 10 years old.
Two hundred child porn images found on the computer were located in ‘unallocated space’, which means someone tried to delete them, the agent said.
When the raid was carried out and before Duggar knew what authorities were investigating, Duggar had allegedly asked agents: ‘What is this about? Has someone been downloading child pornography?’
Duggar was asked about having child porn in his possession and he allegedly responded: ‘I’d rather not answer that question.’
Duggar is alleged to have downloaded the child sexual abuse material online back in 2019 on May 14, 15 and 16.
The files were first flagged by a detective in Little Rock before allegedly being traced to Duggar’s car dealership.
The IP address of the computer was also linked to Duggar’s dealership.
His friends and family allegedly told investigators at the time that Duggar had a porn addiction.
His detention hearing came after Duggar had filed a motion to be released on bail.
Josh Duggar has been barred from returning home to his pregnant wife Anna and their six kids
He argued he was not a flight risk because he has ‘a widely-recognizable face’ and of his ‘deep roots’ in the community.
‘He was born and raised in this community and, with the exception of a stint working in politics in Washington, D.C., this has always been his home,’ the motion for his bail application read.
‘Indeed, Duggar’s life – and that of his parents and 18 siblings – has been largely documented on camera and in the media.
‘In that vein, Duggar has a widely-recognizable face and has spent the majority of his life in the public spotlight – making any concern that he is a risk of flight all the more unwarranted.’
Duggar alleged that he has ‘maintained an open dialogue with the US Attorney’s Office in connection with this investigation’ and noted that he was permitted to ‘voluntarily self-surrender in connection with this case.’
If convicted of the child porn charges, Duggar faces up to 20 years in prison.
Jim Bob and Michelle issued a statement last week following his arrest, saying they were praying for their son and pregnant daughter-in-law.
‘The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious,’ they said.
‘It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light, and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner. We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family.’
