Who is Robert Franklin? Josh Duggar's sex offender inmate to testify against him
Trigger Warning: Child sex abuse, child pornography
With the ongoing trial of child sex offender Josh Duggar, it has been reported that one of his jail inmates might make an appearance in federal court to testify against him. Robert Franklin, a 35-year-old inmate at Washington County Detention Center, was arrested just three days before Duggar was nabbed by cops. Both of them were held at the same facility in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where Josh Duggar spent seven nights before being allowed home detention. However, it is still unclear how exactly Franklin and Duggar are connected.
After jury selection in Josh Duggar's child porn case, the prosecution and defense made their opening statements on Wednesday, December 1. It was stated that Duggar used his work laptop to download disturbing child pornography files on them. The '19 Kids and Counting' alum reportedly downloaded a stockpile of disturbing images and videos including that of two girls, aged seven and nine, being "penetrated" by an adult male. Another bulk download featured 65 images of a girl, aged seven, posing nude, exposing her genitals, and then being put in a dog kennel, the prosecution alleged.
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Why is Robert Franklin in prison?
Robert Franklin was reportedly arrested on drug-related charges on April 26, 2021, and booked into the Arkansas facility. According to court documents, he was indicted on various charges including possession of meth or cocaine with intent to deliver, failure to stop, and for driving on a suspended license. However, there is more to his criminal history. Franklin was reportedly jailed for three days in 2004 for sexually assaulting a minor and was mandated to register as a sex offender. However, he failed to register on four separate occasions and has been convicted for the same.
Meanwhile, Josh Duggar was brought to the same facility as Franklin on April 29, 2021 on child pornography charges. It was later found that in his youth, he has molested five girls including four of his sisters. Duggar was later released from Washington County Detention Center a week later into home detention.
Ahead of his trial this week, government attorneys sought permission to have US Marshals transport Robert Franklin to court between November 30 and December 3 to give testimony on the Josh Duggar case. The permission to bring Franklin as a witness was granted.
Meanwhile, a family friend of the Duggars testified during his trial that Josh Duggar had "digitally penetrated" a girl in 2003 when he was 15 years old. He allegedly told Bobye Holt on March 30, 2003 "that he had inappropriately touched the vagina of Jane Doe 4 that day and had been touching the breasts and vaginal areas of Jane Does 1 through 3, both over and under their clothes for years." The prosecutors further added, "The defendant told her that he had digitally penetrated Jane Doe 4's vagina while she sat on his lap and he read her bible stories."