Joseph Garrett Duggar, a former star of “19 Kids and Counting,” has been arrested and accused of molesting a child, authorities say.
Duggar, 31, was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving sexual activity with a 14-year-old female victim who was nine at the time of the alleged incident, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida announced Wednesday, March 18.
During a forensic interview, the child disclosed several moments involving Duggar during a 2020 family vacation in Panama City Beach, the sheriff’s office said. In one of these instances, Duggar purportedly asked the child repeatedly to sit on his lap and in another manipulated the child’s underwear and grazed her genitals on a couch and under a blanket.
The child said Duggar, who was the seventh oldest of 19 siblings on the TLC reality series, later apologized to the child for his actions and no other incidents occurred, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff said the child’s father later confronted Duggar about the incidents on March 17 and the reality TV alum admitted to his actions to law enforcement in the city of Tontitown in northern Washington County, Arkansas. The Tontitown Police Department arrested Duggar, who is set to be extradited to Bay County, where he’ll face his charge.
USA TODAY could not determine an attorney representing Duggar by the time of publication and has reached out to the Duggar family for comment.
Joseph Duggar’s brother, Josh Duggar, was previously convicted of possessing child pornography
Joseph Duggar’s arrest comes years after his older brother, Josh Duggar, was arrested for possession of child pornography in 2021. He was convicted later that year and, in 2022, was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.
In 2015, “19 Kids and Counting” was canceled following revelations that Josh, who is the oldest sibling, had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter when he was a teen. He also admitted that he cheated on his wife and shared a public apology in 2015.
That same year, TLC aired a spinoff series, titled “Counting On,” centered around two sisters from the Duggar family, but it was also canceled following Josh’s arrest in 2021 after 11 seasons.
In 2023, a four-part limited docuseries titled “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets” delved into revelations about the infamous family, including how the parents, Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar, joined a “cult” known as the Institute for Basic Life Principles as a young couple.
Bill Gothard, an influential leader in the conservative Christian “Quiverfull” movement, founded the institute, according to the docuseries. The docuseries explained that Gothard taught women and children to be unwaveringly obedient and submissive through the group. He was later forced out of leadership following allegations of sexual harassment and assaulting young girls, which he denied.
Contributing: Joy Ashford, USA TODAY
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