In brief
Joseph Duggar, a former star of the reality show '19 Kids and Counting,' faces serious allegations of child molestation after a 14-year-old girl reported multiple instances of abuse during a family trip. Duggar was arrested in Arkansas and is awaiting extradition to Florida. This news comes almost five years after his brother Josh Duggar was convicted for his own child-related offenses, prompting renewed scrutiny on the Duggar family's history with abuse allegations.
Former reality TV star Joseph Duggar is facing a child molestation charge in Florida, almost five years after his brother Josh, who also starred in the TLC show “19 Kids and Counting,” was convicted of downloading child sexual abuse images.
Joseph Duggar, 31, was arrested in Arkansas, where he lives, and was awaiting extradition to Florida on Thursday. Duggar is charged with lewd and lascivious behavior on a child under 12 years old, according to an arrest affidavit from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Panama City, Florida.
Police officers in Tontitown, Arkansas, on Wednesday contacted deputies in Bay County, stating they had interviewed a 14-year-old girl who alleged that Duggar had molested her several times during a family trip to Panama City Beach when she was 9 years old, according to the affidavit.
Following the report, the girl’s father confronted Duggar about the abuse this week. The father claims Duggar admitted to the molestation. Police in Tontitown had the father call Duggar while a detective listened, and he again admitted to the actions, as stated in the arrest affidavit.
Currently, there is no online court docket in Florida listing Duggar's case, leaving uncertain whether he has retained legal representation. Inquiries directed at the Duggar family media request website went unanswered.
The Tontitown Police Department confirmed Thursday that the investigation is ongoing and is working closely with the Bay County Sheriff's Office in Florida.
Originally, TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” showcased the lives of devout Baptists Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, along with their 19 children. The show was canceled in 2015 following allegations that Josh Duggar had sexually abused four of his sisters and a babysitter years earlier. He later confessed to the abuse and apologized. In 2022, he was sentenced to around 12.5 years in prison on charges related to child sexual exploitation.
