The mayor of Springdale, Arkansas, doesn’t seem to be happy with the Duggar family for insinuating that Josh Duggar’s police records — pertaining to acts carried out when he was a juvenile, but as a part of an investigation that didn’t take place until Josh was legally an adult — were released illegally. He’s firing back with a statement on the city’s website that doesn’t just address accusations of impropriety, but defies a number of the Duggars’ statements in their recent interviews.
The full statement can be found here. It opens by mentioning accusations that the Springdale Police Chief Kathy O’Kelley was bribed or acting on an “agenda,” calling that “outrageous and categorically false.”
He goes on to provide several more pieces of information:
The Duggar family was notified before the department responded to the FOIA request. After the police report became public, many wondered if the Duggar family had been warned in advance of the release, citing social media silence on the part of many family members, and cryptic posts about forgiveness from Anna. It seems that was right on point: Mayor Doug Sprouse says the family was not only informed that the FOIA request was received, but was given updates, as the record was gathered and legal advice was sought.
Speaking of the department seeking advice, Chief O’Kelley didn’t only ask the City Attorney’s opinion before releasing the records: Mayor Sprouse says the department contacted numerous organizations and individuals in law enforcement and legal advice before concluding that the record must be released.
Finally, Mayor Sprouse addresses the Duggar family’s repeated complaints that the record was a juvenile record and couldn’t be legally released, and the claims that the file was sealed — they’ve even referred to the release as a “leak” and suggested the Police Chief was attempting to get “revenge.”
“The Springdale Police Department files in this case are not part of juvenile proceedings, had not been sealed or expunged, and at the time the report was filed the person listed in the report was an adult, not a juvenile.”
The timing is awkward for the Duggars. Several members of the family have just returned to social media , perhaps in hopes of moving on toward a return to reality TV, but it’s becoming clear the saga is not yet at an end. The journalist who initially tracked the story says he has more to reveal , and the Duggar family has just made headlines again after a refusal to comply with a child welfare check led to police intervention.
[Image via TLC Screengrab ]