Former ’19 Kids and Counting’ star Joseph Duggar accused of child molestation

BAY COUNTY, Fla. – A former actuality tv star from the TLC collection “19 Kids and Counting” is dealing with expenses after allegedly molesting a 9-year-old lady throughout a 2020 Florida trip.

Former TLC star faces Florida expenses

What we all know:

Joseph Garrett Duggar, 31, is charged with lewd and lascivious harassment of a sufferer lower than 12 years outdated and lewd and lascivious conduct carried out by an individual 18 years or older, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office introduced.

Duggar is awaiting extradition to Bay County to face the fees. Officials confirmed to FOX 5 Atlanta the suspect was featured on the TLC actuality present.

Bay County deputies have been notified on Wednesday when Tontitown police contacted them relating to a report of previous sexual abuse.

Investigators mentioned the now 14-year-old sufferer had participated in a forensic evaluation the place she disclosed a number of incidents involving Duggar that allegedly occurred on a household trip to Panama City Beach when she was 9 years outdated.

Authorities instructed the sufferer’s father confronted Duggar concerning the incidents on Tuesday, when he then allegedly admitted his actions to the daddy and Tontitown detectives.

Details of the 2020 allegations

The sufferer instructed police her household was staying at a house on Danny Drive when Duggar allegedly requested her to take a seat on his lap a number of instances, in response to Bay County officers.

At one level throughout the trip, Duggar additionally requested her to take a seat subsequent to him on a sofa and coated them with a blanket, the sufferer claimed.

After he coated them with the blanket, Duggar then sexually assaulted the lady, she mentioned.

The sufferer mentioned the inappropriate contact continued on the journey till in the future Duggar ultimately apologized for his actions.

Questions stay

What we do not know:

Law enforcement didn’t say how the sufferer and Duggar are related or give a timeline for Duggar’s extradition to Florida.

It is unclear the place investigators consider there are extra victims.

Duggar household secrets and techniques revealed

Dig deeper:

In 2023, the Duggar household, as soon as thought of a chief instance of Christian evangelicalism, have been featured in a docuseries exploring their ties to an ultra-religious group often called “The Institute of Basic Life Principles.”

The collection known as “Shiny Happy People” aired on Amazon Prime Video.

The household’s downfall began in 2015 when it was revealed that the eldest Duggar son, Josh Duggar, had molested underage women — together with 4 of his sisters and a babysitter.

TLC canceled the Duggar actuality present following the allegations.

Patriarch Jim Bob Duggar and his spouse, Michelle, admitted they knew of the incidents and are dealing with scrutiny for failing to report the crimes, as an alternative choosing inside church counseling.

Scandals escalated in 2021, when a Little Rock detective found child porn recordsdata have been being shared from a pc traced to Josh Duggar.

Investigators testified that the photographs depicted child abuse, together with toddlers, that have been downloaded in 2019 onto a pc at a automotive dealership owned by Josh Duggar.

Josh Duggar is at the moment serving a 12 ½ yr jail sentence after being convicted of downloading child sexual abuse materials.