‘Counting On’ Alum Joseph Duggar Accused of Molesting 9-Year-Old Girl on Fla. Vacation
Joseph’s arrest comes nearly five years after his brother Josh Duggar was sentenced to more than 12 years for possessing child sexual abuse materials. Former 19 Kids and Counting star Joseph Duggar is facing charges after allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl while vacationing in 2020.
Joseph, 31, was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday, March 18.
The former TLC star is now awaiting extradition to Bay County to face the charges. He was booked into the Washington County, Arkansas, jail on March 18 at 3:59 p.m. local time, PEOPLE can confirm.
He was charged in connection with a child sexual abuse case involving a then-9-year-old girl who was on vacation with her family in Panama City Beach, Fla., in 2020.
The alleged sexual abuse occurred when Joseph allegedly asked the victim to sit on his lap. “As the vacation continued, he also asked her to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket. During this time, Duggar manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals. Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs,” Bay County Sheriff’s Office said.
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“The victim stated Duggar eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology,” Bay County Sheriff’s Office said.
The arrest was a result of the victim, now 14, participating in a forensic interview regarding a report of past sexual abuse. The victim’s father confronted Duggar about the incidents and Joseph “allegedly admitted his actions to the father and Tontitown detectives.”
PEOPLE reached out to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and a representative for the Duggar family. PEOPLE confirms that Duggar is in police custody, but an official extradition timeline has not been released.
Joseph’s arrest comes years after his brother Josh’s ongoing legal troubles. It was reported in 2015 that Josh, now 38, confessed to molesting multiple young girls, including sisters Jill (Duggar) Dillard and Jessa (Duggar) Seewald, as a teenager.
That same year, he also admitted to using Ashley Madison to have an extramarital affair. The disgraced TV personality shares seven children with wife Anna Duggar. He later announced he would enter rehab for his pornography addiction.
In May 2019, Josh allegedly used the “dark web and online file-sharing software” to download ” child sexual abuse material from the internet multiple times,” the Department of Justice previously reported. In April 2021, Homeland Security arrested Josh. Eight months later, in December 2021, he was found guilty of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material. He was sentenced in May 2022 to 12 and a half years and has been serving out his sentence at FCI Seagoville in Seagoville, Texas, with an anticipated release date in August 2032.
