Joseph Duggar, who starred on the TLC reality show “19 Kids and Counting” alongside his family, was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl.
His arrest comes several years after his older brother, Josh Duggar, was accused of molesting five underage girls, including four of his sisters. After being arrested in 2021 on charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material, Josh Duggar was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
In a statement on Facebook Wednesday, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said Joseph Duggar, 31, had been charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor. He was arrested by the Tontitown Police Department in Arkansas after a 14-year-old contacted the police about several alleged incidents involving him during a 2020 vacation in Panama City Beach, Fla., when she was 9 years old. Duggar is awaiting extradition to Bay County, the police said.
According to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the victim alleged that “Duggar repeatedly asked her 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.”
The victim stated that Duggar eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology. Police said the victim’s father confronted Joseph Duggar a day prior to his arrest and he admitted his actions both to the father and investigators.
Airing from 2008 to 2015, “19 Kids and Counting” followed the devout independent Baptist family consisting of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their 19 children (all with names beginning with the letter “J”). It was canceled after the accusations surrounding Josh Duggar came to light. A spinoff “Counting On,” following some of the family’s adult children as they got married and started their own families, aired from 2015 to 2021 and was pulled after Josh Duggar’s arrest.