The minor who accused Joseph Duggar of grooming and sexual assault told investigators that the embattled reality star repeatedly “grazed[her]vagina” with his hand during a 2020 family vacation, according to reports.
The alleged victim, now 14, told detectives from the Tontitown Police Department in Arkansas that she was vacationing in Florida when “several incidents of sexual abuse” involving Duggar occurred, according to a copy of Duggar’s arrest warrant affidavit obtained by People magazine on Wednesday.
Duggar, now 31, was said to have been a guest on a 2020 trip to Panama City Beach, and the alleged victim told investigators that he asked the then-9-year-old to “sit on his lap multiple times” during the trip, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit states that she would sometimes “sit on the defendant’s lap” and that Duggar would “hug (her) in his arms.”
The affidavit also included allegations that the relationship between Duggar and the minor began to change the more time they spent together on vacation.
According to the affidavit, Duggar’s alleged victim told authorities that the former “19 Kids and Counting” star began asking Duggar to “sit on the couch next to[him],” at which point he “covered the party with a blanket.”
“Once the parties were interviewed, the defendant pulled up the victim’s dress and touched her thighs,” Bay County Deputy Sheriff Darrell Norris wrote in the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, Duggar’s alleged victim also reportedly stated that Duggar’s hand “grazed her vagina” during the incident, and that Duggar’s hand was “on the outside of her underwear.”
Duggar’s accuser said these incidents happened “several times” and that she felt “uncomfortable” and “disoriented” during the alleged incidents.
The affidavit concludes that the alleged sexual assault incidents “no longer occurred” after Duggar “approached the victim” and “apologized for his actions” during the trip.
The Duggar family did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
On March 18, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office announced that the former TLC star was arrested in Florida on charges of sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl. Page Six obtained the mugshot on March 19th.
Duggar was charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a victim under 12 years of age and lewd and lascivious acts with a victim over 18 years of age.
According to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, Bay County investigators were contacted by detectives from the Tontitown Police Department regarding reports of past sexual abuse.
“The 14-year-old victim participated in a forensic interview and disclosed several incidents involving Duggar that occurred during a family vacation in Panama City Beach when he was 9 years old,” the statement added.
Dugger was eventually arrested and booked into the Washington County Jail in Arkansas, and Arkansas police told Page Six that he would eventually be extradited to Bay County.
The alleged victim’s father allegedly confronted Duggar about the alleged incident on March 17, and Duggar reportedly admitted to the charges.
Duggar married Kendra Caldwell in 2017, and the couple have son Garrett, 7, and daughters Addison, 6, and Brooklyn Praise, 5.
Caldwell, 27, was subsequently arrested in Arkansas on March 20 and charged with four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment.
Duggar was charged with the same charges in addition to the original charges related to the sexual abuse case in Florida.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call our Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
