Former “19 Kids and Counting” star Joseph Duggar has been arrested near his family’s home in Arkansas over accusations that he molested a 9-year-old girl during a trip to Florida six years ago.
Duggar, 31, who is the younger brother of convicted sex offender Josh Duggar, was taken into custody by officers from the Tontitown Police Department at around 4 p.m. on March 18, and is now awaiting extradition to Bay County, FL, where the alleged incident is said to have taken place.
In a statement posted to its official Facebook account, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office (BSCO) said that Duggar was arrested on charges of “lewd and lascivious behavior—molestation of a victim less than 12 years-old—and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older.”
The charges stem from accusations made by a 14-year-old girl, who “disclosed several incidents involving Duggar that occurred during a family vacation in Panama City Beach when she was 9-years-old.”
According to the BCSO, Duggar was confronted by the alleged victim’s father on March 17 and “admitted his actions.” He is also said to have confessed to the incident during an interview with Tontitown police officers.
Former “19 Kids and Counting” star Joseph Duggar has been arrested near his family’s home in Arkansas over accusations that he molested a 9-year-old girl during a trip to Florida six years ago. (Instagram/Joseph and Kendra Duggar)
The relationship between Duggar and the alleged victim is not known. Nor has it been revealed whether the confrontation between her father and the former reality star took place in person or over the phone.
“According to the investigation, the incidents took place in 2020 while the family was staying at a residence on Danny Drive,” the BCSO statement continued.
Duggar is accused of inappropriately touching the girl during the vacation—with the victim telling officials that he later “apologized for his actions,” at which point “the incidents stopped.”
The Duggar family has not yet addressed the allegations.
Joseph is understood to have been taken into custody either in or near his family’s home on the outskirts of Tontitown, where he and his wife, Kendra, have lived since they tied the knot in September 2017.
The couple, who share four children— sons Garrett and Justus and daughters Addison and Brooklyn—own multiple properties in the area, according to records, including a quaint cabin that they renovated at the start of their marriage, before later renting it out as a short-term vacation home.
A listing for the property, which remains live on Booking.com, reveals that the property comes complete with two bedrooms, “a fully equipped kitchen, air-conditioning, and a spacious seating area.” Outside, there is a fireplace and a hot tub.
The couple also owns three parcels of land near their vacation home, which they purchased in 2018, records show. While two of those plots were sold as bare land, the third, which was bought for just $5,000, did include a property, which the couple is said to have renovated.
This dwelling is understood to now serve as their primary residence, which they share with their four children. The home is located around 15 minutes’ drive west of Tontitown.
Joseph (right) appeared on his family’s popular TLC reality series for years, until the network canceled the show over allegations made against his brother, Josh, who is not pictured. (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Much of the series was filmed inside the family’s compound in Arkansas, near where Joseph now lives. (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
The Duggar family’s compound—where the majority of their TLC reality shows were filmed—is also located on the outskirts of Tontitown, where Duggar’s dad, Jim Bob, and mother, Michelle, have been based for decades.
The Duggars rose to global fame after starring in the hit reality series “19 Kids and Counting,” which followed Jim Bob, Michelle, and their ever-expanding brood. The show ran for seven years until the network canceled it in 2015 when eldest Duggar son Josh was accused of sexual molestation.
While a spinoff series, “Counting On,” was initially launched, TLC pulled the plug on the show when Josh was arrested.
Josh was arrested on child pornography charges in 2021 and in May 2022, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison without the possibility of parole on one count of receiving child sex abuse material.
Josh’s wife, Anna, and their seven children—Mackynzie, 16, Michael, 14, Marcus, 12, Meredith, 10, Mason, 8, Maryella, 6, and Madyson, 4—are currently living in a $1 million property in Fayetteville, AR, which Jim Bob is understood to have purchased for them in 2025.
The home is believed to have been purchased using a chunk of the $4.7 million Jim Bob and Michelle received from Walmart for their Tontitown, AR, land that same year.
In addition to its many bedrooms and bathrooms, the property also features a barn with six horse stalls and is the epitome of privacy, as nothing but lush landscaping surrounds it.
Following Josh’s arrest in 2021, his brother spoke out to condemn his actions, saying during a 2015 episode of the family’s reality show: “Whenever somebody you respect the most is willing to get up and proclaim what we believe as Christians, about being true to your wife, you’d never think that that’s the person who’s involved in it.”