Joseph Garrett Duggar, who appeared on 19 Kids and Counting, has been arrested following accusations that he molested a child.
The 31-year-old was charged yesterday with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old, conducted by a person 18 years or older.
This is after he allegedly assaulted a nine-year-old girl in Florida in 2020 while she was on holiday with her family.
Bay County’s sheriff’s office said in a statement that the ex-TLC personality repeatedly engaged in ‘unlawful sexual activity’ with the girl in Panama City Beach.
Now aged 14, the girl reported the assault earlier that day to the police in Tontitown, Arkansas, with a warrant then issued for Duggar’s arrest.
The girl told investigators that he ‘eventually apologised for his actions, and the incidents stopped after the apology’.
Duggar is now awaiting extradition to Bay County, the sheriff’s office has said.
It is unclear at this time whether he has a lawyer.
Duggar became known to the public in 2008, when he and 18 siblings featured on TV with their parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.
At the time, the series was among TLC’s top-performing shows and ran for 10 seasons.
However, it was pulled off the air in 2015 after allegations surfaced against oldest child Josh. It was said he had molested several girls when he was a teen.
No criminal charges came from the allegations, but the Duggar parents said on Fox News that year that four of the five victims were Josh’s sisters.
Josh was also found guilty by a jury in December 2021 after he was discovered to have downloaded around 600 photographs and seven videos of violent child sexual abuse.
The verdict convicted him on one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. A judge later vacated the possession charge.
He was sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison, where he is expected to remain until 2032, since his appeal for a new trial was denied in 2023.
In recent years, several other members of the Duggar family have distanced themselves from both Josh and their parents.
Learn more about NSPCC
The NSPCC has been looking out for children for 140 years.
If you are worried about a child, you can contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or by email at help@NSPCC.org.uk
Children can call the NSPC's Childline for free on 0800 1111, send an email, or live chat with a counsellor.
The NSPCC is there to help children being abused - whether by an adult or another child. The abuse can be physical, sexual, or emotional and can happen on or offline.
You can find out more here.
