Jill Duggar Dillard’s family posted a statement responding to the arrest of Dillard’s younger brother Joseph Duggar for alleged sex crimes against a 9-year-old girl during a vacation in 2020. Duggar, a married father of four, was arrested on March 18 and charged with “Lewd and Lascivious Behavior, involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor.”
“We were shocked yesterday evening to learn of Jill’s brother (Joseph Duggar’s) arrest,” said the Dillard family’s statement.
“We first learned of anything related to his charges yesterday via a text from a friend who messaged us about the recent media reports of Joseph’s arrest and his alleged confession to molesting a juvenile female in 2020,” the statement said. “We are shocked and heartbroken.”
RELATED: ‘19 Kids and Counting’ Star Joseph Duggar Charged With Molesting 9-Year-Old Girl
Jill Duggar Dillard Responds to Joseph Duggar’s Arrest
The Duggars are a homeschool family from Arkansas who were featured in TLC’s reality show “19 Kids and Counting” (2008-2015) and in the spin off “Counting On” (2015-2020). Jill Duggar Dillard is the fourth and Joseph Duggar is the seventh of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 19 children.
TLC canceled “19 Kids and Counting” after news broke that Jim Bob and Michelle’s oldest child, Josh, had molested five girls, including four of his sisters. The network later canceled “Counting On” after Josh Duggar was charged with receiving and possessing child sex abuse materials. Josh was convicted of those crimes on Dec. 9, 2021, and was sentenced to over 12 years in prison.
Joseph Duggar, who is married to Kendra and has four children between the ages of 3 and 7, is accused of child sex crimes against a now 14-year-old female. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) in Panama City, Florida, said in a statement that the incidents took place on a family vacation and that Duggar admitted his actions to detectives and to the girl’s father.
Duggar was arrested in Tontitown, Arkansas, but is awaiting extradition to Bay County. He made his first appearance in court Friday, March 20, in Arkansas, where he waived his right to an extradition hearing.
The Daily Mail reported Friday that Josh Duggar, who is currently serving prison time for possessing child sex abuse materials, gave a statement about Joseph Duggar’s arrest to the Mail via an attorney.
“Josh understands the stigma of being accused,” said the statement. “He lives with the painful reality of how false accusations can destroy a life. He understands how the targeting of a person for publicity can twist the truth into sensationalized fiction.”
“Josh and Joe are not in frequent communication,” said the attorney, but Josh “hopes and prays for his brother’s well being in this difficult time.”
Amy Duggar King, cousin to Josh, Joseph and Jill, said in a statement to People magazine that she was “utterly shocked to hear about these allegations and Joseph’s arrest” yet “not surprised that another alleged predator has emerged from this toxic system.”
We were shocked yesterday evening to learn of Jill’s brother (Joseph Duggar’s) arrest, said Jilly Duggar Dillard's statement.Click to Post
