New details emerge in the Joseph Duggar case, as Radar Online reported that the accused used to cover himself and a nine-year-old girl with a blanket before allegedly groping her on a family vacation at Panama City Beach, Florida.
Last Monday, the 31-year-old former star of 19 Kids and Counting was taken into custody on suspicion of sexual misconduct against a child while on vacation in 2020.
New details of the Joseph Duggar Florida incident
According to a report by RadarOnline, legal documents and interviews suggest that the victim, now 14, revealed to investigators that she suffered “several incidents of sexual abuse” when she was nine years old.
The affidavit, per RadarOnline, said, “Once the parties were covered, the defendant would pull the victim’s dress up and touch the victim’s thighs.”
The girl said that after being requested to sit next to Duggar, he “covered them with a blanket” and stroked her thighs before allegedly grazing her genitals over her underwear.
The victim also reported that during such improper interactions, Duggar’s “hand was outside of her underwear” and often times “grazed (her) vagina.” The victim also reported that these incidents occurred “several times,” allegedly leaving the child “confused” and “uncomfortable.”
Duggar “eventually approached the victim and apologized for his actions,” according to Duggar’s accuser, and “the incidents stopped occurring.”
Duggar admits to impure intentions towards the minor
The affidavit stated that the account of the child recorded in a forensic interview provided sufficient information to secure an arrest warrant against Joseph.
Duggar is also reported to have acknowledged touching the child “over her clothing” and acknowledged that his “intentions were not pure” in a later interview with her father and a detective.
The family members of the victim’s family have also spoken publicly against Joseph since his arrest.
Duggar’s wife, Kendra, 27, was also taken into custody and charged with four counts of second-degree false imprisonment and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. After being detained for almost ninety minutes, she was released on bond.
Duggar has signed a document consenting to extradition to Florida, where he is accused of indecent and lascivious behavior, and he is currently facing the same allegations as his wife.
The Sun cited the Arkansas State Code to report that Class A offenses include second-degree false imprisonment and second-degree harming the welfare of a minor.
If Joe and Kendra are found guilty of those offenses, the maximum punishment for each charge is one year.
The remaining charges, which entail severe punishments, are being brought against Joe in Florida, The Sun reported.
The two accusations he faces there are classified as “life felonies” under the Sunshine State penal code.
