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Joseph Duggar, previously known for his role on the reality television show 19 Kids and Counting, has been arrested following allegations of molesting a minor during a family trip.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office has charged Duggar with lewd and lascivious behavior related to unlawful sexual activity with a minor. According to their statement, Duggar is accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl during a family vacation in 2020 at Panama City Beach, Florida.
In a forensic interview with the minor, who is now 14, the girl described “several incidents” involving Duggar. These events reportedly occurred while the family was staying at a vacation rental on Danny Drive.
“The victim reported that Duggar repeatedly invited her to sit on his lap,” the sheriff’s office detailed. “As the vacation progressed, he also encouraged her to sit beside him on a couch, where he covered them with a blanket.” During these incidents, Duggar is alleged to have manipulated the girl’s underwear and made contact with her genitals.
Authorities further reported that Duggar “continued to rub his hands on her thighs” during these encounters.
Authorities said Duggar “would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs.”
The girl told investigators that Duggar later apologized for his actions and the alleged abuse stopped.
The minor told her father about the alleged incidents on March 17, according to the sheriff’s office. When confronted by the girl’s father and Tontitown Police detectives in Arkansas, the sheriff’s office said Duggar “admitted to his actions.”
Tontitown Police said in a statement of their own that they took the 31-year-old into custody around 3 p.m. on March 18 after receiving a warrant from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
“This incident did not occur in Tontitown,” police said. “Our officers assisted the victim, the family, and the agency with jurisdiction over the case.”
Duggar is currently being held in the Washington County Jail as he awaits extradition to Florida, according to jail records reviewed by Oxygen. It’s unclear whether he has retained an attorney.
Oxygen reached out to the Duggar family for comment, but did not receive an immediate reply.
Josh Duggar Remains in Prison After Receiving Child Pornography
Joseph’s older brother Josh Duggar—who was also a fixture on the reality show—is currently serving a 12-year sentence in federal prison after being convicted in 2021 for receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, per NBC News.
The family’s popular reality series was canceled in 2015 after an earlier police report was uncovered that accused Josh of sexually abusing five underage girls, including some of his sisters.
Josh was also later embroiled in another scandal that same year, per CNN, after reports came out that he’d been cheating on his wife Anna.