Joseph Duggar appeared via Zoom for a court hearing in Arkansas about his extradition to Florida following his arrest on March 18
NEED TO KNOW
Joseph, 31, is accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in 2020 while on vacation in Panama City
Joseph is a father of four who has been married to his wife Kendra since 2017
Joseph Duggarmade his first court appearance in an Arkansas courthouse on the morning of Friday, March 20, waiving his right to an extradition hearing and paving the way for him to be extradited to Florida.
The 31-year-old reality TV star appeared via Zoom for an extradition hearing after being accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in 2020 during a family vacation in Florida.
His wife Kendra did not appear in court, nor did any of his family members.
Authorities allege the offense took place in Panama City, and following extradition, Joseph is expected to be charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old conducted by a person 18 years or older, according to the Bay County Sheriff's Office in Florida.
There is also a possibility that Joseph could face additional charges, as Tontitown (Ark.) Police Department Chief Corey Jenison tells PEOPLE, "there is still an open investigation being conducted."
The charges against Joseph were filed by the Bay County Sheriff's Office on March 18 after they learned a 14-year-old girl allegedly reported he sexually molested her in 2020 when she was 9 years old.
Joseph had been asked about the girl's accusations by her father on the night of March 17 and allegedly confessed at that time,according to a statement from the BCSO.
The BCSO said the girl claimed Joseph engaged in "unlawful sexual activity" after asking her to sit on his lap while on vacation in Panama City.
The child alleged that Joseph then "asked her to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket," according to the BCSO statement, then "manipulated the victim's underwear and grazed her genitals" and "would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs."
Advertisement
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE's free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
The girl also said that "Duggar eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology," according to the BCSO statement.
This is now the third scandal involving underage girls and the Duggar family.
The first two involved Joseph's oldest brother Josh, who in 2015 admitted to molesting four of his younger sisters and in 2021 was convicted ofreceiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conductafter investigators discovered such material on his work computer at a used car dealership he operated.
Joseph Duggar, who appeared on all four iterations of his family's TLC reality series franchise, is a father of four who has been married to his wife Kendra since 2017.
His wedding to Kendra was featured in a 2017 episode ofCounting On.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
Read the original article onPeople
