Breaking news! Everything is revealed! The police chief discloses all the details of the case.
Duggar is accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in 2020 while on vacation in Florida
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A Florida sheriff is speaking out following the arrest of Joseph Duggar, saying the reality TV figure will be treated no differently than any other defendant.
“I don’t care if he’s got a TV show, or who he is, or what he’s done,” Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford told local outlet WJHG. “He’s committed an illegal act and he’s going to be held accountable for that.”
The former 19 Kids and Counting star, 31, has been charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older.
The charges against Duggar were filed by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office on March 18 after they learned about an alleged incident from 2020. Duggar is accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl while she was on vacation with her family in Panama City Beach, Fla.
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There is also a possibility that Joseph could face additional charges, as Corey Jenison, Chief of the Tontitown Police Department in Arkansas, previously told PEOPLE, “there is still an open investigation being conducted.”
According to the BCSO, the girl claimed Duggar engaged in “unlawful sexual activity” after asking her to sit on his lap and later next to him under a blanket, where he is accused of touching her inappropriately. He later allegedly apologized, per the sheriff, after which the alleged incidents stopped.
Duggar had been asked about the girl’s accusations by her father on the night of March 17 and allegedly confessed, according to a statement from the BCSO.
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Duggar was arrested in Arkansas, where he lives, and made his first court appearance via Zoom on the morning of Friday, March 20, waiving his right to an extradition hearing and paving the way for him to be extradited to Florida.
Duggar’s arrest comes nearly four years after his older brother, Josh Duggar, 38, was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison on charges of possession of child pornography in 2022. Josh was also accused of sexually abusing five girls, including his sisters, Jill (Duggar) Dillard and Jessa (Duggar) Seewald.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
