Images from Joseph Duggarimprisonment for ‘unlawful intercourse with a child’ is released.
Video shows Duggar, 31, being processed Wednesday, March 18, at Arkansas’ Washington County Jail. Us Weekly found photos showing Duggar wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt, black pants and sneakers as he was escorted by a police officer to have his mug taken away.
News broke the same day that Duggar was awaiting extradition to Bay County, Florida, after a 14-year-old girl recalled several incidents that allegedly occurred when she was 9 years old. Investigators were contacted by an investigator with the Tontitown Police Department in Arkansas after a girl filed a complaint alleging that Duggar sexually assaulted her during a 2020 family vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida.
The girl says Duggar apologized for his actions and said there were no other incidents at the time. The authorities were informed of these allegations when the father of the deceased confronted the former reality star earlier this month. Duggar also admitted his actions to both the father and Tontitown detectives and was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving the molestation of a victim under the age of 12 and lewd and lascivious behavior by a person 18 or older.
The Duggars entered the public eye with their TLC show 19 Children and counting. They later faced controversy when Joseph’s brother Josh Duggar was arrested on a sex charge in 2021. The eldest Duggar son pleaded not guilty to charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. He was later sentenced to 151 months in prison, which he is still serving.
Josh, 38, spoke in prison about his brother’s arrest.
Josh’s lawyer told the Daily Mail on Friday, March 20, that he was “deeply saddened” to hear that Joseph had been charged. Josh continued to criticize the “false allegations” about his brother following the “discrimination.”
“He is living with the painful reality of how false accusations can destroy a life,” continued the statement on behalf of Josh. “He understands how a person’s focus for public perception can twist reality into a compelling fiction.”
Jill Duggar and broke his silence in a blog post.
“We were shocked yesterday evening to hear of the arrest of Jill’s brother (Joseph Duggar),” he wrote on Thursday, March 19. “We first heard about anything related to his charges yesterday via a text message from a friend who texted us about the recent media reports of Joseph’s arrest and his guilty plea to molesting a girl in 2020.”
Jill, 34, and husband Derick Dillard They are “shocked and saddened” by the allegations.
“We strongly condemn torture. We support the law and hope that justice will be served,” the message continued. “Our hearts go out to the innocent child who suffered in this unspeakable crime and his family. We pray that God will give him strength, comfort and hope, and that he will be able to get all the help and support he needs and deserves in the days ahead.”
Joseph made his first court appearance on Friday via Zoom. He did not enter a plea and waived his right to a trial, meaning he agreed to be extradited to Florida to face the charges.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
