Joseph Duggar, a former reality TV star from TLC's 19 Kids and Counting, has been arrested in Arkansas on a child molestation charge and is awaiting extradition to Florida. The 31-year-old is accused of lewd and lascivious behavior toward a child under 12, according to an arrest affidavit from the Bay County Sheriff's Office in Panama City, Florida.
The charges stem from an incident during a family trip to Panama City Beach, where a now-14-year-old girl alleged that Duggar molested her several times when she was nine. Police in Tontitown, Arkansas, interviewed the victim, who said the abuse occurred during the trip.
The girl's father confronted Duggar about the allegations this week, and Duggar reportedly admitted to the abuse. During a subsequent phone call arranged by police, with a detective listening, Duggar again admitted to the actions, the affidavit stated.
Duggar was taken into custody in Arkansas and was awaiting extradition to Florida as of Thursday. It was not immediately known if he had legal representation, and no online court docket was available in Florida for the case.
The arrest comes nearly five years after his brother Josh Duggar was convicted of downloading child sexual abuse images. Josh Duggar was sentenced in 2022 to about 12 and a half years in prison. The family's show, 19 Kids and Counting, was canceled by TLC in 2015 following allegations that Josh Duggar had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter.
