Joseph Duggar Arrested After Alleged Sexual Activity With a Minor as Brother Josh Remains in Prison

Joseph Duggar, one of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar’s children known for the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting, has been arrested.

The 31-year-old — who is a younger brother of Josh Duggar, 38 — faces charges of 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, according to an announcement from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.

In a post shared Wednesday, March 18, to their official Facebook page, the sheriff’s office said that “Bay County investigators were contacted by a detective with the Tontitown Police Department regarding a report of past sexual abuse.”

The sheriff’s office said a 14-year-old victim “participated in a forensic interview” and disclosed “several incidents” involving Joseph that allegedly took place on a family vacation in Panama City Beach when she was 9 in 2020.

According to authorities, the teenager claimed Joseph “repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap.” Joseph allegedly covered them with a blanket and “grazed her genitals,” according to the BCSO. He allegedly continued to “rub his hands on her thighs.”

The victim stated Joseph apologized and the incidents stopped. However, the victim’s father confronted Joseph about these incidents on Tuesday, March 17, when Joseph allegedly admitted his actions to the father and to Tontitown detectives.

He is currently awaiting extradition to Bay County.

Joseph married wife Kendra on September 8, 2017, at the First Baptist Church in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. They share three children.

According to their page on the family website, Joseph said, “I recently finished my Real Estate Brokers License and have enjoyed getting to work in the Real Estate industry. We also have been building houses to sell. I love getting to work outside with my hands, whether it’s working on a house, or doing other hands-on projects.”

Joseph’s brother, Josh, was arrested on April 29, 2021, for receiving and possessing child pornography. He was found guilty on all charges in December of that year and was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison on May 25, 2022.

Josh is currently still behind bars.