Joseph Duggar’s Mugshot Released as Family Remains Silent About His Arrest
Authorities in Arkansas have released Joseph Duggar’s mugshot following his March 18 arrest on child molestation charges.
The 19 Kids and Counting cast member’s booking photo was shared by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office hours after Duggar, 31, was taken into custody because of an alleged incident involving a 9-year-old girl in Florida.
Joseph Duggar charged with abusing 9-year-old girl
The former TLC personality has been charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office shared on Facebook.
On Wednesday, investigators in Bay County were contacted by a detective with the Tontitown Police Department who had interviewed the now 14-year-old victim. She disclosed multiple incidents of abuse involving Duggar that occurred in 2020 during a family vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida. Police in Arkansas then arrested Duggar, who is now awaiting extradition to Bay County. He scheduled to appear in court on March 20, according to online jail records.
According to the BCSO, “Duggar repeatedly asked [the victim] to sit on his lap. As the vacation continued, he also asked her to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket. During this time, Duggar manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals. Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs. The victim stated Duggar eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology.”
While the alleged abuse occurred in 2020, police only got involved when the victim’s father confronted Duggar about the incidents on March 17. Duggar then admitted to the abuse to both the victim’s father and Tontitown detectives.
Duggar’s arrest comes nearly five years after his elder brother, Josh Duggar, was arrested for possessing child sexual abuse material. He was convicted in December 2021 and is currently serving a 12-year sentence in a federal prison in Texas. Josh’s arrest led to the cancellation of the family’s TLC reality series Counting On, a spinoff of 19 Kids and Counting that focused on the older Duggar siblings and their families.
Duggar family remains silent about ‘19 Kids and Counting’ alum’s arrest
So far, Duggar’s large extended family – which includes his parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and his 18 siblings – has remained silent about the accusations. An Instagram account he shares with his wife, Kendra Duggar, with whom he shares at least three children, has been dormant since 2021.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet has reached out the Duggar family for comment about Joseph Duggar’s arrest but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
In 2015, Joseph spoke up after it was revealed that Josh had sexually abused multiple girls when he was a teenager, including several of his younger sisters. Josh, who was married with young children, had also admitted to have a profile on the cheating website Ashley Madison.
“Whenever somebody you respect the most is willing to get up and proclaim what we believe as Christians, about being true to your wife, you’d never think that that’s the person who’s involved in it,” Joseph said in a December 2015 episode of Jill & Jessa: Counting On (via People).
“It broke my heart,” he added.
How to get help: If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 for free and confidential support.
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