Joseph Duggar — the brother of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar — has been arrested and charged with “lewd and lascivious behavior” involving sexual activity with a minor.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida announced on Wednesday that is “has arrested and charged 31-year-old Joseph Garrett Duggar for Lewd and Lascivious Behavior, involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor.”
According to the sheriff’s office, “a 14-year-old victim participated in a forensic interview, where she disclosed several incidents involving Duggar that occurred during a family vacation in Panama City Beach when she was 9-years-old.”
The incidents, which the investigation says occurred in 2020, involved Duggar repeatedly asking the alleged victim to his on his lap, before requesting that she sit next to him on a couch, and then covered them with a blanket, the girl told authorities.
While under the blanket, “Duggar manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals. Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs,” the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said.
Eventually, Duggar apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after his apology, the alleged victim told authorities.
The girl’s father, however, later confronted the Counting On star about the alleged incidents on Tuesday, at which point Duggar “admitted his actions to the victim’s father and to Tontitown Detectives,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Duggar was arrested out of state and charged with Lewd and Lascivious Behavior — Molestation of a Victim Less Than 12-years-old and Lewd and Lascivious Behavior Conducted By A Person 18 Years Or Older,” authorities added.
Notably, Duggar’s brother, Josh, was also arrested and charged with child sex crimes five years ago.
In 2021, Josh Duggar was charged with receiving and possessing child pornography. A federal jury in Arkansas later convicted the former reality TV star of downloading and possessing child pornography.
Joseph Duggar, who also appeared in 19 Kids and Counting, is currently awaiting extradition to Bay County, the sheriff’s office said.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
