Joseph “Joe” Duggar made headlines earlier this month when he was arrested in Arkansas and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving a minor. The 19 Kids and Counting alum was eventually released from police custody and was awaiting extradition, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. So, where is he now?
Shortly after Joe was arrested, his wife, Kendra Duggar, was arrested and charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the second degree and four counts of false imprisonment in the second degree. Her husband is facing similar additional charges.
Here’s what we know so far about Joe’s arrest, his release from an Arkansas jail and his charges in Florida.
Joseph was accused of sexually abusing a child in an alleged incident from 2020 while on a family vacation in Panama City Beach. According to a statement from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, “investigators were contacted by a detective with the Tontitown Police Department regarding a report of past sexual abuse” on March 18, 2026.
“The 14-year-old victim participated in a forensic interview, where she disclosed several incidents involving Duggar that occurred during a family vacation in Panama City Beach when she was 9-years-old,” the statement continued. “According to the investigation, the incidents took place in 2020 while the family was staying at a residence on Danny Drive.”
The victim further claimed that Joe “repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap” during one of the alleged incidents. Throughout the family vacation, he also “manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals. Joe would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs,” the sheriff’s office continued.
Joe apologized for his actions, and the alleged incidents stopped, the sheriff’s office’s statement pointed out. Investigators discovered that the victim’s father confronted Joseph about the allegations on March 17, 2026. Joe confessed to the father and to Tontitown detectives, and he was arrested shortly thereafter.
