[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Years before his own arrest, Joseph Duggar condemned his brother for his sex crimes against children. Little did anyone know he would allegedly go on to follow in his predatory footsteps.
On Wednesday, Joseph was arrested and charged in Florida with lewd and lascivious behavior, involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor. According to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the incident stemmed from a 2020 family vacation in Panama City Beach in which he allegedly molested a 9-year-old girl:
“The victim reported 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. During this time, Duggar manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals. Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs.”
The victim, now 14, just reported Joseph, revealing he “eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology.” The victim’s father confronted Joseph this week, who “admitted his actions to the victim’s father and to Tontitown Detectives,” leading to his arrest and 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.
As we know, this is not the first incident having to do with a Duggar man and underage girls. In 2015, Josh admitted to molesting several minors, including some of his sisters, and that he had an affair using Ashley Madison. And at the time, Joseph made his thoughts clear.
Related: Taylor Frankie Paul Insists She ‘Never Touched’ Her Children Amid Abuse Allegations
In a December 2015 episode of Jill & Jessa: Counting On, Joseph said:
“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.”
He went on to express his shock that Josh “was living such a secret life,” and claimed:
“It broke my heart.”
In 2022, Josh was found guilty of possession of child pornography and sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison. During the trial, Joseph notably did not speak a single word against his brother — and he also stopped posting on social media with his wife Kendra Caldwell and their kids. Seems like he was hiding his alleged disturbing secret.
What are your thoughts on this developing situation? Let us know in the comments down below.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Images via Washington County Sheriff’s Department & Washington County Detention Center]
