In the wake of the reported arrest of Joseph Duggar, fans and critics of the former 19 Kids and Counting family are reflecting on what he has said and done in the past. Specifically, what he may have said about his older brother, Josh Duggar.
On March 18, Joseph was arrested and charged with “lewd and lascivious behavior, including molestation of a victim younger than 12, and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 or older,” reported WJHG.
Sadly, he is not the first of the 19 Kids and Counting family members to face serious allegations about sexual misconduct.
As KNWA notes, Josh was sentenced in May 2022 to a 12-year prison sentence. He was convicted in December 2021 for receiving and possessing child sex abuse materials.
However, years before either Duggar was arrested, Josh was accused of sexually abusing five girls. Four of the girls he abused were sisters of his. Jinger Duggar Seewald and Jill Duggar Dillardspoke about the difficult situation in a Fox News special with Megyn Kelly in June 2015.
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As People shared, in 2015, Joseph shared some of his thoughts about his brother Josh and the allegations in a TLC special that was promoted by the network in December 2015.
“Whenever somebody you respect the most is willing to get up and proclaim what we believe as Christians, about being true to your wife, you’d never think that that’s the person who’s involved in it,” Joseph said in the clip.
He continued, “It broke my heart” to learn of the allegations against his older brother. Joseph admitted he was surprised Josh was “living such a secret life.”
The victim in Joseph’s case told investigators, “Duggar repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap. As the vacation continued, he also asked her to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket.”
The now 14-year-old victim, who was 9 at the time of the alleged incident, added, “During this time, Duggar manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals. Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs.”
He allegedly was confronted by the victim’s father on March 17 and admitted what had happened to the girl’s father as well as Tontitown Detectives in Arkansas. He was arrested out of state and will be extradited to Bay County, Florida, where the incident allegedly took place.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
