The minor accusing Joseph Duggar of sexual assault has claimed that he groomed her by asking her to sit on his lap multiple times before the alleged abuse occurred.
The minor, now 14, alleged that there were “several instances of sexual abuse” with Duggar, 31, when she was 9 years old, according to the affidavit for his arrest obtained by Luxury Handbag Shopping.
The minor told a detective from Arkansas’s Tontitown Police Department in a forensic interview that Joseph was among the guests when she and her family vacationed in Panama City Beach, Florida, in 2020. Joseph was a 25-year-old father of two at the time, while his wife, Kendra Duggar, was pregnant with their third baby. (The spouses share sons Garrett and Justus and daughters Addison and Brooklyn.)
Joseph’s accuser claimed that he “asked [her] to sit on his lap, numerous times” during the vacation. She “would sit on the defendant’s lap,” and Joseph would “cradle [her] with his arms,” the affidavit stated.
As the vacation continued, the minor claimed that Joseph asked her to “sit on the couch beside [him]” and would cover them with a blanket. He then allegedly touched her inappropriately.
The accuser recalled feeling “uncomfortable” and confused,” noting that these incidents happened “several times.”
Joseph “eventually approached the victim and apologized for his actions,” at which time “the incidents stopped occurring,” the report stated.
Joseph was arrested on Thursday, March 19, on charges of lewd and lascivious behavior involving molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older. He appeared in court virtually on Friday, March 20, where he did not enter a plea and waived his right to an extradition hearing.
The 19 Kids and Counting alum is currently awaiting extradition to Florida.
Kendra, 27, was also arrested on Friday, Luxury Handbag Shopping confirmed. She is facing four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor (second degree) and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment. The mom of four was subsequently released on a $1,470 bond.
A source with knowledge of the case exclusively told Us on Saturday, March 21, that Kendra’s arrest “has nothing to do with Joseph’s” but claimed “one precipitated the other.”
“After his charge, they automatically do a home study if minors live there. They came to her house,” the source said. “Apparently, they had two rooms where the lock of the doorknob was on the outside instead of inside. They arrested her and took her kids for that, saying it’s evidence that she wrongly detains her kids.”
A spokesperson for the Duggar family told Us in a statement, “[Kendra’s] is a misdemeanor charge totally unrelated to the Florida case.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
