Another Member of the Duggar Family Is Involved in Another Child Abuse Case
Joseph Duggar, one of the children from 19 Kids and Counting, was arrested for child molestation. He molested a nine-year-old girl six years ago in Florida.
The now fourteen-year-old victim accused Joseph of touching her inappropriately during a family vacation in 2020 at Panama City Beach. Despite the arrest, Joseph did not plead guilty on charges of child molestation.
After his arrest, his wife, Kendra Duggar, was also investigated on a separate occasion. She was arrested on four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of false imprisonment. Locks were found outside of the exterior of their doors. Regardless, Kendra also did not plead guilty.
Did anyone in the Duggar family know about the incident?
Jana Duggar, one of the siblings, was disheartened by the incident. She posted about Joseph on Instagram, “This news came as a shock to us, as we had no prior knowledge before it became public. Our hearts are with the child who has been harmed—this is grievous and unnaceptable wrong.”
Jinger Duggar, another sister, also expressed her grief over the situation. She said on her podcast, “You can’t be prepared for news like this, even though we’ve experienced something very similar before with one of my other siblings who made unthinkable choices, decisions that have affected all of us… The pain and hurt that’s caused to us and to so many others is so hard.”
Jinger made mention of Josh Duggar, her brother who was also accused of molestation. There is history in the family with Josh. But it doesn’t seem as if the Duggars were aware of Joseph’s tendencies. Although there are claims that the family is secretly supportive of Joseph despite his proclivities, this is unconfirmed.
A history of abuse
Joseph has been released on a $600,000 bond and is back in Arkansas, reunited with his wife, Kendra Duggar. The family lawyer noted that Joseph is currently not with his four children. Although Joseph’s incident is unnerving, it’s not the first time a Duggar family member was arrested because of incidents involving children.
Earlier in 2015, one of the Duggar siblings, Josh Duggar, was also accused of molesting his four younger sisters and a babysitter. Although the case is infamously well-known, Josh has been forgiven by his family. Even Jill, one of the sisters he victimized, said, “We’ve already forgiven Josh. We’ve already moved on.”
But unlike his brother, Josh was never formally held accountable for these acts. Although Jill and Jessa both claim to forgive him, he was not formally disciplined under the law for molesting other children. The family might excuse him for his behavior, but it’s important to note that he also abused one person outside of his family. No justice has been formally served in these cases.
Josh Duggar would later be arrested for possessing child sexual abuse material in 2021. The court documents indicate that Josh repeatedly downloaded and viewed images depicting child sexual abuse, some of them notably sadistic abuse. Because of this, Josh Duggar has been sent to prison and is currently serving a twelve-year and seven-month term. He may not have been held accountable for his earlier actions, but he is paying the price for his recent activities.
At the very least, no other child will be endangered by Josh as he remains in prison. Hopefully, no other child will suffer in the hands of Joseph, either.
(featured image: TLC)
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