Former “19 Kids and Counting” star Joseph Duggar, whose older brother Josh Duggar is currently serving time in prison for receiving and possessing child pornography, has been arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Panama City, Florida, said in a statement Wednesday night that a 14-year-old girl alleged that Duggar, 31, sexually abused her several times when she was 9. The girl who first made the allegations to the Tontitown Police Department in Arkansas said the abuse allegedly took place during a family vacation in Panama City Beach.
“According to the investigation, the incidents took place in 2020 while the family was staying at a residence on Danny Drive," the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said.
The teenager said Duggar eventually apologized for his actions and stopped the abuse after the apology.
Investigators said Duggar was confronted about the abuse on Tuesday by the teenager’s father. He confessed to the abuse and was arrested by detectives at the Tontitown Police Department. The confession led to his arrest. He is now awaiting extradition to Bay County.
“19 Kids and Counting,” which aired on TLC from 2008 to 2015, was once one of the most popular reality shows on television. The show focused on the lives of independent Baptists Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 19 kids in Arkansas.
The show was pulled from TLC in 2015 after the now 38-year-old Josh Duggar, the oldest Duggar child, was accused of molesting his sisters when he was 14 years old, according to a 2006 police report.
Josh Duggar apologized for acting "inexcusably," and his parents framed the time of the allegations as "one of the most difficult times in our lives." In the police report, one of Josh's sisters alleged that he inappropriately touched her when she was about 5. Their parents later stated that, "This was not rape or anything."
Josh Duggar would later be convicted of receiving and possessing child pornography in December 2021.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the former Christian reality star repeatedly downloaded and viewed images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including images of prepubescent children and depictions of sadistic abuse.
“This verdict also demonstrates that no person is above the law," U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes for Western Arkansas said in a statement at the time. "Regardless of wealth, social status, or fame, our office will continue to seek out all individuals who seek to abuse children and victimize them through the downloading, possession, and sharing of child pornography.”
