Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

AStern

(855 posts)
Wed Mar 18, 2026, 06:52 PM Mar 18

Duggar family member arrested, being extradited to Bay County, BCSO says

Last edited Thu Mar 19, 2026, 12:51 AM - Edit history (1)

Joseph Garrett Duggar arrested for Lewd and Lascivious Behavior, involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Bay County Sheriff’s Office said Joseph Garrett Duggar, 31, who appeared on the TV show “19 Kids and Counting,” was arrested Wednesday for crimes against a minor that allegedly occurred in Panama City Beach.

BCSO said Duggar has been charged with lewd and lascivious behavior, including molestation of a victim younger than 12, and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 or older.

We’re told Bay County investigators were contacted Wednesday by a Tontitown police detective about a report of past sexual abuse. The 14-year-old victim, during a forensic interview, disclosed what happened with Duggar during a family vacation in Panama City Beach when she was 9, BCSO says.

According to the investigation, the events happened when the family was staying at a home on Danny Drive.

-----

https://www.wjhg.com/2026/03/18/duggar-family-member-arrested-being-extradited-bay-county-bcso-says/

50 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Duggar family member arrested, being extradited to Bay County, BCSO says (Original Post) AStern Mar 18 OP
A perfectly normal maga family. Dave Bowman Mar 18 #1
As someone who never followed those freaks, am I to understand this is the second RockRaven Mar 18 #2
I didn't follow them either PatSeg Mar 18 #17
seems like it. mwmisses4289 Mar 18 #30
This happened around 2020 . He was late 20s or early 30s and married with kids already by then JI7 Mar 19 #33
Ah, thank you. the article wasn't very clear when it happened, I had the impression this had happened last year. mwmisses4289 Mar 19 #36
Yes, and he committed these specific crimes after the crimes his HIS BROTHER JOSH came to light obamanut2012 Mar 19 #47
"crimes against a minor" durablend Mar 18 #3
2 down, 17 to go? Ms. Toad Mar 18 #4
This message was self-deleted by its author Botany Mar 18 #9
19 kids, 11 sons and 8 daughters Wiz Imp Mar 18 #10
This message was self-deleted by its author Raine Mar 18 #5
Maga family values. Scrivener7 Mar 18 #6
Aren't they close family friends with the malaise Mar 18 #13
Another one? mcar Mar 18 #7
This one has at least four kids of his own.... 50 Shades Of Blue Mar 18 #8
The oldest son, the one who is currently in prison, LisaL Mar 18 #15
my thoughts upon reading "Duggar family member arrested" GopherGal Mar 18 #11
That's some superior child rearing right there. LisaL Mar 18 #12
Girls forced to raise each baby mom produced, sons taught they were superior gender BlueWaveNeverEnd Mar 18 #19
That's right. colorado_ufo Mar 18 #22
What parent teacher conferences? School events? Sports? LisaL Mar 18 #24
I was talking about the situation in general, colorado_ufo Mar 19 #41
At age 6 months, each baby was assigned to a girl. The crobs were in the big bedrrom where all the girls slept BlueWaveNeverEnd Mar 18 #28
The girls were trained to shout "Nikes" if they were walking past a girl or woman wearing a sleeveless shirt meadowlander Mar 19 #34
Omg..performative religion BlueWaveNeverEnd Mar 19 #48
"admitted his actions to the victim's father" Skittles Mar 18 #14
When the father found out about his oldest son abusing his sister's he put a lock on the girl's bedroom JI7 Mar 19 #32
typical self centered so and so. AllaN01Bear Mar 18 #16
Whoa!! so raising sons in a household where women are 2nd class... BlueWaveNeverEnd Mar 18 #18
Serious repression evolves Mar 18 #20
STILL NOT A DRAG QUEEN! Enter stage left Mar 18 #21
Came to say the same! maspaha Mar 18 #29
Looks like big friends with Huckabee: Kingofalldems Mar 18 #23
Yes indeed malaise Mar 18 #25
Well, dad Jim something, is or was big in Arkansas politics. mwmisses4289 Mar 19 #37
Which of the sons were charged with, or accused of, incest? niyad Mar 18 #26
Josh AStern Mar 18 #27
At the risk of staring the obvious but this seems like potentially learned behavior. BannonsLiver Mar 18 #31
Or he was raised in a cult that obsessed about sex as a taboo meadowlander Mar 19 #35
Yeah, they followed some preacher guy who called himself mwmisses4289 Mar 19 #38
Bill Gothard who resigned facing abuse allegations meadowlander Mar 19 #42
He's still kicking... druidity33 Mar 19 #46
Very possible. However, if true it would absolutely not preclude what I wrote from happening, either. BannonsLiver Mar 19 #39
Yes, of course. But I don't think this is a phenomenon specific to this family. meadowlander Mar 19 #43
That is possible Scott Alan Swaggerty Mar 21 #50
They smothered the kids videohead5 Mar 19 #40
They weren't allowed to dance because it was lascivious. meadowlander Mar 19 #44
This family has many issues RANDYWILDMAN Mar 19 #45
Disgusting but not surprising Scott Alan Swaggerty Mar 21 #49

RockRaven

(19,436 posts)
2. As someone who never followed those freaks, am I to understand this is the second
Wed Mar 18, 2026, 06:57 PM
Mar 18

pedo who has been caught from that family?

PatSeg

(53,214 posts)
17. I didn't follow them either
Wed Mar 18, 2026, 08:35 PM
Mar 18

There was an incident a while back, but I don't know if it was this guy or another family member. Nice family.


Edit to add: Apparently there was another Duggar who was convicted on similar charges. See comment #4.

mwmisses4289

(4,223 posts)
30. seems like it.
Wed Mar 18, 2026, 09:47 PM
Mar 18

If he is thirty one now, he probably would have been one of the younger boys during the shows run (2008-2015). So is the child he molested one of the daughters of one of his older siblings? (Josh, iirc, was already 16 or seventeen when the show began its run).
Makes you wonder if dear old dad may also have been pedo.

JI7

(93,650 posts)
33. This happened around 2020 . He was late 20s or early 30s and married with kids already by then
Thu Mar 19, 2026, 02:40 AM
Mar 19

And his brother was already in prison then also .

mwmisses4289

(4,223 posts)
36. Ah, thank you. the article wasn't very clear when it happened, I had the impression this had happened last year.
Thu Mar 19, 2026, 07:36 AM
Mar 19

obamanut2012

(29,375 posts)
47. Yes, and he committed these specific crimes after the crimes his HIS BROTHER JOSH came to light
Thu Mar 19, 2026, 03:24 PM
Mar 19

Ms. Toad

(38,664 posts)
4. 2 down, 17 to go?
Wed Mar 18, 2026, 07:00 PM
Mar 18

from 2022: https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/hsi-investigation-leads-12-year-sentence-former-reality-television-personality

FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale man was sentenced today to 12 years in prison without the possibility of parole on one count of receiving child sex abuse material following an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Fayetteville.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Joshua James Duggar, 34, repeatedly downloaded and viewed images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including images of prepubescent children and depictions of sadistic abuse. In addition to the 151-month sentence, Duggar must serve 20 years supervised release, register as a sex offender, and pay $50,000 in fines.

Response to Ms. Toad (Reply #4)

Wiz Imp

(10,033 posts)
10. 19 kids, 11 sons and 8 daughters
Wed Mar 18, 2026, 07:19 PM
Mar 18

Joshua, the oldest at 38 is currently in prison until at least 2032. Joseph is the 3rd oldest at 31. The second oldest boy is John-David at 36. He has apparently avoided getting into trouble so far, but you have to wonder about him.

Josh molested at least 4 of his sisters. I'm willing to believe the girls were just victims, but I'd be very suspicious of the rest of the brothers. The youngest son is now 18 and the youngest daughter 17.

Response to AStern (Original post)

malaise

(296,283 posts)
13. Aren't they close family friends with the
Wed Mar 18, 2026, 07:37 PM
Mar 18

Last edited Wed Mar 18, 2026, 08:38 PM - Edit history (1)

Fuckabees?


Haha down memory lane
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mike-huckabee-voices-support-honest-open-duggars-n363366

Mike Huckabee Voices Support For 'Honest And Open' Duggar Family

Former Arkansas governor and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said Friday he supports reality TV family the Duggars amid allegations that their oldest child molested underage girls as a teenager.

"Good people make mistakes and do regrettable and even disgusting things," Huckabee said in a statement about the Duggars, the stars of the TLC show "19 Kids and Counting," which follows their lives as a large, conservative, evangelical Christian family.

"No one needs to defend Josh's actions as a teenager, but the fact that he confessed his sins to those he harmed, sought help, and has gone forward to live a responsible and circumspect life as an adult is testament to his family's authenticity and humility," Huckabee said.


GopherGal

(2,913 posts)
11. my thoughts upon reading "Duggar family member arrested"
Wed Mar 18, 2026, 07:31 PM
Mar 18

1) Duggar? Gotta be for sex crimes
2) Again?
3) Has he been named to TSF's cabinet yet?
4) Maybe not just sex crimes, it could be fraud, too. These are Republicans we're talking about.

LisaL

(47,432 posts)
12. That's some superior child rearing right there.
Wed Mar 18, 2026, 07:36 PM
Mar 18

Weren't their parents expecting superior results from the way they raised their 19 kids?

BlueWaveNeverEnd

(14,301 posts)
19. Girls forced to raise each baby mom produced, sons taught they were superior gender
Wed Mar 18, 2026, 08:41 PM
Mar 18

Mom gazing at dad as if he were a god. Corporal punishment.

colorado_ufo

(6,253 posts)
22. That's right.
Wed Mar 18, 2026, 09:11 PM
Mar 18

No physical way for one woman to tend to that many children, laundry, cooking, dishes, homework help, parent-teacher conferences, sports practices, school events, even just grocery shopping! No way she could even supervise them all or monitor their behavior.

colorado_ufo

(6,253 posts)
41. I was talking about the situation in general,
Thu Mar 19, 2026, 11:19 AM
Mar 19

not that family specifically. I was highlighting the difference between a family with that many children and a smaller family with the personal interaction of the parents, if they were good parents.

BlueWaveNeverEnd

(14,301 posts)
28. At age 6 months, each baby was assigned to a girl. The crobs were in the big bedrrom where all the girls slept
Wed Mar 18, 2026, 09:35 PM
Mar 18

meadowlander

(5,135 posts)
34. The girls were trained to shout "Nikes" if they were walking past a girl or woman wearing a sleeveless shirt
Thu Mar 19, 2026, 03:29 AM
Mar 19

and all the boys had to look at their shoes as they walked past to avoid temptation.

You know, just normal stuff.

Also they all "side hug" to avoid the risk of genitals touching from a normal hug.

Skittles

(171,809 posts)
14. "admitted his actions to the victim's father"
Wed Mar 18, 2026, 07:37 PM
Mar 18

if that was my dad, that would have been the end of Mr. Duggar

JI7

(93,650 posts)
32. When the father found out about his oldest son abusing his sister's he put a lock on the girl's bedroom
Thu Mar 19, 2026, 02:30 AM
Mar 19

mwmisses4289

(4,223 posts)
37. Well, dad Jim something, is or was big in Arkansas politics.
Thu Mar 19, 2026, 07:45 AM
Mar 19

I seem to remember the show started losing viewers as it came out that the show was basically a grift for the duggars.

BannonsLiver

(20,611 posts)
31. At the risk of staring the obvious but this seems like potentially learned behavior.
Wed Mar 18, 2026, 11:15 PM
Mar 18

Either he saw his brother diddling the sisters or he was abused by one of the siblings or the parents.

meadowlander

(5,135 posts)
35. Or he was raised in a cult that obsessed about sex as a taboo
Thu Mar 19, 2026, 03:31 AM
Mar 19

and it gave him and probably most of the other boys in that family a fucked up attitude to sex, consent and women in general.

mwmisses4289

(4,223 posts)
38. Yeah, they followed some preacher guy who called himself
Thu Mar 19, 2026, 07:47 AM
Mar 19

goddard or godhardt or something like that. He was one freaky, weird dude.

BannonsLiver

(20,611 posts)
39. Very possible. However, if true it would absolutely not preclude what I wrote from happening, either.
Thu Mar 19, 2026, 10:52 AM
Mar 19

Both could be true, obviously.

meadowlander

(5,135 posts)
43. Yes, of course. But I don't think this is a phenomenon specific to this family.
Thu Mar 19, 2026, 12:45 PM
Mar 19

I imagine it's pretty rife in the Quiverful movement and has direct ties to what they believe and how they raise their kids.

videohead5

(2,956 posts)
40. They smothered the kids
Thu Mar 19, 2026, 11:02 AM
Mar 19

They could not do anything. It was an extreme way to raise kids. No TV and no nothing. It was not just teaching them right from wrong. It was mentally suppressing.

meadowlander

(5,135 posts)
44. They weren't allowed to dance because it was lascivious.
Thu Mar 19, 2026, 12:52 PM
Mar 19

When they went swimming the girls had to wear essentially a wetsuit that went to their wrists and ankles with a baggy waterproof dress over it to hide any curves.

The risks of sex permeated every aspect of everything they did.

RANDYWILDMAN

(3,164 posts)
45. This family has many issues
Thu Mar 19, 2026, 02:46 PM
Mar 19

Sorry folks god does not in any way want you to have 20 kids and this family also used itś fame to further the secret terrible behavior of this family.

These kids need some serious counseling

The parents should rot in hell, they knew and covered up some serious stuff.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Duggar family member arre...