Joseph Duggar Arrested in Arkansas, Faces Florida Charge of Lewd Conduct

As of March 19, 2026, former reality television figure Joseph Duggar, 31, was taken into custody in Arkansas and is awaiting extradition to Florida on a charge of lewd and lascivious behavior involving a child under 12, according to a Bay County arrest affidavit.

The affidavit, issued by the Bay County Sheriff's Office in Panama City, says investigators were notified after officers in Tontitown, Arkansas interviewed a 14-year-old girl who reported that Duggar had molested her multiple times during a family visit to Panama City Beach when she was 9. The girl's father confronted Duggar this week; authorities say Duggar admitted the conduct. Officers arranged a phone call in which a detective listened as the father spoke with Duggar, and the affidavit states Duggar again acknowledged the allegations.

Officials noted there was no online Florida court docket for Duggar and it was not immediately clear whether he had retained counsel. Requests for comment to the Duggar family media contact and Tontitown police had not been answered. Joseph Duggar previously appeared on the television series that followed the large Duggar family; the program was canceled in 2015 after revelations involving his brother, who was later sentenced in 2022 on federal charges related to child sexual abuse images.