Joseph Duggar, 31, was arrested by the Tontitown Police Department in Arkansas. Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff, Arkansas
March 19 (UPI) — Law enforcement officials arrested Joseph Duggar, one of the stars of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting on sex abuse charges involving a 9-year-old girl, Florida authorities said.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office said Duggar, 31, was arrested Wednesday by authorities in Arkansas and was awaiting extradition to Florida.
He faces charges of lewd and lascivious behavior by a person 18 years or older, and lewd and lascivious behavior involving a victim less than 12 years old.
Duggar’s arrest came after a 14-year-old girl told the Tontitown Police Department in Arkansas about sexual abuse that took place when she was 9 years old. She said there were several incidents during a family vacation to Panama City Beach, Fla., in 2020.
“The victim reported Duggar repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap,” a news release from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said.
“As the vacation continued, he also asked her to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket.”
The release said that during this time, Duggar inappropriately touched the girl. The girl told police that Duggar later apologized and stopped the alleged actions.
The sheriff’s office did not specify how Duggar and the girl knew each other. The release said the girl told her father about the alleged incidents, and her father confronted Duggar on Tuesday.
“Duggar admitted his actions to the victim’s father and to Tontitown detectives,” the release said.
Joseph Duggar’s eldest brother, Josh Duggar, was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison in 2022 on a child pornography conviction. The family’s reality show on TLC was canceled in 2015 after a police report revealed that Josh Duggar molested younger girls.