’19 Kids and Counting’ star Joseph Duggar has been arrested on child molestation charges
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Joseph Garrett Duggar was arrested Wednesday for allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl years ago.
The former “19 Kids and Counting” star was arrested and charged with molestation of a victim under the age of 12 and lewd and lascivious behavior by a person 18 or older, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
The suspect, who is now 14 years old, told investigators during an interview and investigation that the allegations occurred while he was on vacation at Panama City Beach in Florida with his family in 2020.
During the vacation, the woman allegedly asked the girl to sit on her lap, then asked her to sit next to him and covered them both with a blanket, the sheriff’s office said.
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Joseph Duggar and his wife, Kendra. (Duggar Family/Instagram)
The office said “Duggar took the victim’s underwear and ate the private part.
Duggar later apologized for what he allegedly did to the girl, and it ended, officials said.
The girl’s father confronted Duggar about the charges on Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said, adding that Duggar admitted what he had done to her and the police.
Duggar, who lives in Arkansas, is awaiting extradition to Florida.
He is being held in jail in Washington County, Arkansas, according to People magazine.
Joseph and his two brothers in 2016. L-R: John David Duggar, Josiah Duggar, Joseph Duggar (Content by Ida Mae Astute/Disney General Entertainment via Getty Images)
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Duggar’s older brother, Josh Duggar, was convicted and sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison in 2022 for possession of child sexual abuse material.
Josh is expected to remain behind bars until 2032 after his appeal for a new trial in 2023 is unsuccessful.
Joseph Duggar and several siblings in 2016. (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images and Ida Mae Astute/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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A federal jury in Arkansas found Josh, 38, guilty in December 2021 of charges related to receiving child pornography and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced in May 2022 to 151 months in prison. Duggar was later transferred from the Washington County Jail in his hometown of Arkansas to FCI Seagoville in Texas.
The allegations against Josh date back to 2006 after a family friend tipped off authorities that he was accused of abusing his four sisters. But the investigation ended because the statute of limitations had passed.
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The allegations resurfaced in 2015, leading to the cancellation of “19 Kids and Counting.” Josh apologized for his marital infidelity and pornography addiction at the time and sought treatment.
He is married to Anna Duggar, and they have seven children together.
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Joseph is also married and has children.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Duggar family and the Bay County Sheriff’s Department for comment.
