Joseph Duggar Arrested on Child Molestation Charges

Joseph Duggar, a 31-year-old former cast member of the TLC reality series "19 Kids and Counting," was arrested in Arkansas on Wednesday and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim under 12 years old, as well as lewd and lascivious conduct by a person 18 years or older. The charges stem from allegations of inappropriate contact with a 9-year-old girl during a family vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida, in 2020, according to the Bay County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators with the Bay County Sheriff's Office were contacted on March 18 by a detective from the Tontitown Police Department in Arkansas regarding a report of past sexual abuse. The now 14-year-old victim participated in a forensic interview, during which she described several incidents that occurred while her family stayed at a residence on Danny Drive in Panama City Beach. She reported that Duggar repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap and, on one occasion, invited her to sit next to him on a couch, where he covered them with a blanket. Under the blanket, Duggar allegedly manipulated her underwear, grazed her genitals, and rubbed her thighs. The victim stated that the behavior stopped after Duggar...