Joseph Garrett Duggar, who starred on the TLC actuality present “19 Children and Counting,” was arrested Wednesday after he was accused of molesting a 9-year-old woman six years in the past throughout a trip in Florida.
The 31-year-old is accused of lewd and lascivious conduct — molestation of a sufferer lower than 12 years-old — and lewd and lascivious conduct performed by an individual 18 years or older, the Bay County Sheriff’s Workplace in Florida mentioned in a information launch.
He was arrested by police in Tontitown, Arkansas, and is awaiting extradition to Bay County, which covers Panama Metropolis.
Tontitown police mentioned in assertion that they obtained a report of a sexual abuse earlier Wednesday and reported it to the Bay County Sheriff’s Division, because the alleged incident had occurred there.
In an interview, the now 14-year-old woman advised police that Duggar allegedly touched her inappropriately on a number of events throughout a household trip in Panama Metropolis Seaside in 2020, the Bay County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned.
The woman mentioned Duggar repeatedly requested her to take a seat on his lap, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned. In the course of the course of the holiday, Duggar additionally requested the woman to take a seat subsequent to him on a sofa and used a blanket to cowl the each of them, the sufferer advised police, after which he allegedly touched her genitals and rubbed his fingers on her thighs.
The sufferer mentioned the incidents stopped after Duggar finally apologized, in line with the sheriff’s workplace.
The Duggar household and TLC didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark Wednesday evening.
The sheriff’s workplace mentioned the woman’s father confronted Duggar in regards to the alleged abuse on Tuesday. “Duggar admitted his actions to the sufferer’s father and to Tontitown Detectives,” the workplace mentioned.
Tontitown police mentioned officers obtained a warrant by the Bay County Sheriff’s Workplace at 3 p.m. Wednesday for Duggar’s arrest.
The Duggar household rose to fame on the hit TLC present “19 Children and Counting,” which aired for 10 seasons from 2008 to 2015 and adopted the house lifetime of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their 19 youngsters.
The present was axed in 2015 following revelations that the eldest son, Josh Duggar, had molested 5 youngsters, together with 4 of his sisters.
Josh Duggar was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in federal jail in 2022 for receiving and possessing little one intercourse abuse photos.
