Trigger Warning: This story contains mentions of CSAM and child sexual assault.
Former Counting On star Joseph Duggar has been arrested and charged with Lewd and Lascivious Behavior involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida reported on Wednesday that investigators were contacted by a detective in the Tontitown Police Department in Arkansas regarding a report of past alleged sexual abuse involving the 31-year-old former TLC star.
According to the BCSO, the detective revealed that a now-14-year-old victim had disclosed in a forensic interview several incidents involving Joseph that occurred during a 2020 family vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida, when the teen was 9 years-old.
The victim claimed that Joseph asked her repeatedly to sit on his lap during the vacation, as well as next to him on a couch, and then covered them with a blanket. She went on to state that Joseph “manipulated” her underwear and “grazed her genitals,” and continued to rub his hands on her thighs.
Joseph eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents reportedly stopped; however, investigators learned that the victim’s father confronted Joseph about the incidents earlier this week, at which point Joseph reportedly admitted his actions to the victim’s father and to Tontitown detectives.
According to the BCSO, Joseph was arrested out of state and charged with 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.
As you know, Joseph, who shares at least four children with wife Kendra, is one of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 19 children; he’s also the younger sibling of Josh Duggar, who is currently serving more than 12 years in prison for receiving and possessing child sex abuse materials (CSAM).
Joseph is currently awaiting extradition to Bay County, Florida.
UPDATE: Joseph was booked into the Washington County Jail in Arkansas just before 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday, where he remains as of press time. He is being held for another department. His mugshot has also been released.
As of press time, no member of the Duggar family has released a statement regarding Joseph’s arrest.
RELATED STORY: Josh Duggar Hires R. Kelly’s Lawyer Beau Brindley Despite Previously Claiming He’s Broke; Gets Latest Hearing Continued
(Photos: TLC)
35 Responses
Hopefully Kendra is a better mom (and a whole lot smarter) than Anna and Michelle and gets her babies out of there!
What a surprise a member of a creepy cult is a predator.
When he married Kendra, huge red flag….she has ALWAYS looked so much younger than what she is…it made me so uneasy. Now that poor woman has to deal with this mess, and 4 kiddos. hopefully she doesn’t pull an Anna and SBHM!
I feel so bad for Kendra. At least she will have Anna to understand what she is going through. It is so disgusting to think about him doing that.
Too bad her dad didn’t beat the shit out of him. That would have been a better headline.
I wonder if they get it from somewhere….
This! If is was just Josh there can always be one weirdo in a family without the family itself having caused it but both of them? Holy something must have happened to cause it.
My mouth literally fell open when I saw it on TMZ though I’m not too surprised. He was married and had two kids, one of them a daughter, when he did this too. Disgusting. I’m sad for Kendra and the kids along with the victim. Also, can we please stop assuming the victim is a family member including one of his in-laws? Why does it even matter? And also stop assuming things about Jim Bob too. I don’t like him either but I’m not going to assume he did things. He moved the girls’ room to his and Michelle’s side of the house after finding out about what Josh did; having it where you have to walk through the master bedroom in order to get to their room.
It doesn’t excuse him or anything, but at least he admitted to it unlike his brother whose still denying any wrong doing. That makes me angry. He still deserves to be charged and in jail though.
It runs in the family because their grandfather was known to be pervy and Amy said her mother never let her be alone around her grandfather. This is disgusting and I feel so much for the victim.
I’ve always said that all the boys creep me out other than John David. They have Jim Bob vibes.
Florida recently really started cracking down on this type of stuff. Let’s all hope they decide to make an example out of him with it being such a high profile case.
I said it from the beginning of this show- the dad is not trustworthy and it shows in his sons… that’s all I will say.
Wait- he was already married when this happened??? Omg
WTF is wrong with the men in this family?! 🤢🤮
The chances that the apples falling from Jim Bob’s tree being just as odd, creepy, and (potentially) pervy as he was? Pretty good and growing apparently.
Disgusted and sad for all the children and innocent women involved here. Fuck anyone who’s enabling.
This is horrifying! It’s got to be a family member because what other little girls would he be around that close? And obviously the father knows him because he confronted him recently about it. I am so sad for the girls in their family, they have all been through so much 🙁
I don’t know which one. There are no girl duggar grandkids that are 14 years old right now
It has to be one of Kendra’s siblings. Josie is the youngest of the Duggar siblings and she is sixteen as is Josh’s oldest daughter so it’s neither of them. The next oldest Duggar granddaughter is Meredith and she is 10.
Can someone explain what the second charge is? The one over 18? Is that a separate person he molested or is it the same girl, but she’s 18 now?
It means that he was over 18 when it happened.
It means that at 26, he was an adult, 18 years or older at the time of the crime perpetrated on the 9-year-old (a child under 12).
It wasn’t a Duggar daughter because do you honestly think JB would rat out his son when they already got Pest behind bars for CSAM? They were with Kendra’s family in Florida when it happened but the only daughter close to 14 is 15. It does make me think possibly a friend of the 15 year old Caldwell daughter though.
I am shocked yet not as the same time
I remember making the comment back when he got married, that he looked a lot like his brother Josh. I half jokingly said “let’s hope he doesn’t have the same “interests” as his brother Josh! And everyone in the comment section came after me! I think I’m still glad I made that comment.
And again with the down-votes? What did I say that was wrong?
I don’t see any down votes
like brother, like brother…like father?… like grandpa?
absolutely disgraceful. WTAF is wrong with this family?!?
very brave of the victim to come forward and keep pursuing justice. thankfully the authorities seem to be taking this seriously.
Grandpa
Oh my. I mean I can’t say I’m surprised. I do think his wife will profess his innocence.
Truly awful 😞
Unfortunately, this isnt shocking. I wonder how many more pedo kids rhey raised
This is so sad for the victims and for Joe’s wife Kendra and their children. Also, I wonder if Josh molested his brothers as well? Joe definitely learned this somewhere.
Their grandfather was allegedly accused of sex abuse as well. His son, Jim Bob, made many creepy and sexually inappropriate comments to his daughters throughout the show.
I can’t even imagine what was going on in that house…
Their grandfather was a pedophile per cousin Amy, i dont doubt it. His dad just has a breeding kink. Disgusting people.
Well, well, well
Wow. Disgusting.
I’m disgusted but not at all surprised.