Joseph Duggar, 31, has been arrested in Florida and charged with child molestation. The alleged abuse occurred during a family vacation in Panama City Beach. The victim, now 14, reported the incident. Duggar's sister and her husband expressed shock and heartbreak, condemning the abuse.
from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida , Duggar abused the girl multiple times during a family vacation in Panama City Beach, including “repeatedly” asking her to “sit on his lap” at a home where her family was staying.
As the vacation went on, Duggar also allegedly “asked her to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket” and then “manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals.” “Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs,” the statement added. Duggar “eventually apologized for his actions,” at which point the alleged abuse stopped. The girl, who is now 14, reported the incident to police in Tontitown, Arkansas, on March 1, the police department. Per the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the girl’s father “confronted” Duggar a day earlier, and Duggar allegedly “admitted his actions to the victim’s father and to Tontitown detectives.” Duggar, 31, was arrested in Tontitown and extradited to Bay County, Florida. He has been charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old, and with lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older. Joseph Duggar is the second person in his family to be accused of sexually abusing a minor. In 2015, his oldest brother, Josh Duggar,a day after Joseph’s arrest, his sister Jill Duggar Dillard said she and her husband and kids are “shocked and heartbroken.” “We strongly condemn abuse. We support the rule of law and hope that justice will be achieved,” they wrote. “Our hearts go out to the innocent juvenile victim of this unspeakable crime and her family. We pray God gives her strength, comfort and hope, and that she is able to get all the help and support she needs and deserves in the days ahead.” The Dillards also said they hope Joseph’s wife, Kendra, and their four children “feel loved and supported during this time as we cannot imagine the indescribable pain they feel as they process and grieve everything.” A day later, on March 20, Kendra Duggar was also hit with criminal charges, according to the Tontitown Police Department. Kendra has beenwith four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the second degree and four counts of false imprisonment in the second degree. Joseph Duggar was also charged with those offenses in addition to the previous charges. A spokesperson for the family toldthe charges against Kendra are “totally unrelated” to Joseph’s molestation charges, adding that she is “not suspected or accused of participating in his alleged crime.” Kendra was booked into jail buton Thursday, Joy-Anna Duggar called the allegations “heartbreaking and deeply disturbing.” She wrote further, “My heart is with the victim, and I am grieved by the pain and harm caused. I have been a wreck this week and am taking time to process.”Thursday saying he and his wife are “disgusted” by the allegations. “Our hearts are burdened because a child’s life has been turned upside down due to evil actions of someone who should have never hurt the vulnerable,” he wrote. “This is something unthinkable. We are angered by what was happened, and we pray God’s righteous hand and the court system will serve justice in the situation as deserved.”Joseph’s arrest on their podcast on Wednesday, calling it “devastating.” Jinger continued, “I did not think my heart could break like it has this week. The pain and heartbreak that we’ve had over this and just thinking of how it’s affected so many — yeah, it’s just unthinkable. It’s so hard and painful on many levels.” Joseph’s cousin, Amy Duggar King — perhaps the most outspoken member of the Duggar family — also addressed the news, saying that she is “sickened” but “not surprised that another alleged predator has emerged from this toxic system” in a statement to. “My first thoughts are with the victim, a child who deserved to be safe, protected, and surrounded by people she could trust,” she said. “The courage it took for her to come forward, especially after years of carrying something so heavy, cannot be overstated. That bravery deserves to be honored above all else.”Are Repetto Ballet Shoes Worth It?The Woman Sending Her Friend’s Feet Pics to a GuyYesterday at 8:00 a.m.In this week’s story, a bisexual newsletter editor for a PR firm goes on dates and flirts on apps.At the iHeartRadio Awards, the pair marked their awards-show debut as a couple with plenty of kissing and celebrity photo ops.Including under-$50 Levi’s for women and men, our best overall and best less-expensive bed pillows, and lots of our longtime favorite beauty products.A new report says the Defense secretary overstepped his role to prevent two women and two Black men from being promoted to one-star general.We invited musicians, artists, and tastemakers to ask the elusive pop legend anything — absolutely anything — ahead of the release ofIt’s not a waste of anyone’s time to show up and flirt a little, spark or not. Just show up!Do Not Call Andy Cohen’s Housewives ‘Boring’New York
Joseph Duggar Child Molestation Sexual Abuse Florida Arrest
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