Joseph Duggar Arrested in Arkansas on Allegations of 2020 Florida Molestation

Joseph Duggar was taken into custody on March 19, 2026, in Tontitown, Arkansas, after authorities said he was accused of molesting a child during a family vacation in Florida six years earlier. The arrest follows a report that prompted coordination between local police and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, which handles the Panama City area.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office announced charges that include lewd and lascivious behavior involving a victim under 12 and related counts attributed to an adult offender. Investigators say the alleged victim, now 14, told detectives that during a 2020 trip to Panama City Beach she was touched inappropriately on multiple occasions. The girl described repeated requests by Duggar to sit on his lap and an instance in which a blanket covered them on a couch before the alleged contact occurred. According to law enforcement, the incidents ceased after Duggar apologized; detectives say he admitted his conduct to the girl’s father and to Tontitown officers. A Bay County arrest warrant was served to Tontitown police at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, and Duggar is being held pending extradition to Florida.

The Duggar family gained national attention through a long-running reality series that documented the household of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. That program ended in 2015 amid revelations involving another son, who was later sentenced in 2022 on federal charges related to child sexual abuse images. Representatives for the family and the television network did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday night.