FL - Second Duggar Son Joseph Garrett Duggar, 31, Arrested for Crimes Against a Minor, 18 March 2026

[Izzylizzy]

I'm saying that it is common for adults to disbelieve child when the children report being victims. And it hurts the victims again to not be believed.

Edited to add: another harmful responses is threatening violence to anyone who SA a child. This scares the child.

MOO

I’m An E.R. Doctor. Here’s What I Want Parents To Know About Child Sexual Abuse.

I’ve treated kids who have suffered in silence, without telling their parents, far too often.

www.romper.com

https://www.resiliencecenterhouston.com/post/when-survivors-of-childhood-sexual-abuse-are-disbelieved

Thanks for clarifying.
I read it as the opposite.
The adult thinking it was better to just make it go away, therefore not believing the child.

 

[Izzylizzy]

I think we've heard enough from him JMO.

This still shocks and disgusts me just like the first time I heard MD say this about her young daughters having been molested by brother JD.


2015
"Michelle Duggar focused on her son’s behavior and intent, saying her daughters “weren’t even aware ... they didn’t probably even understand that it was improper touch.”

Josh Duggar 'was a child preying on a child,' his father says

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, stars of the hit TLC reality show "19 Kids and Counting," said they felt like failures after hearing that when their oldest son, Josh, was a teenager, he was involved in inappropriate conduct with several underage girls, including more than one of his younger sisters.

www.latimes.com

 

[snarast]

Well this is a mess. And horrible.

 

[kaen]

So not a surprise. The investigation of the first pedophile was lackluster and every single child in that house was at risk. Now, we have another Duggar accused with a wife aiding in his crimes. The story in this family is consistent-- there are no victims and protect the men at any cost. Living behind those fences and gates gives them a sense that whatever they do is sanctioned by their family and position.

 

[Izzylizzy]

Joseph Duggar’s wife arrested, couple faces new charges including false imprisonment

Joseph was arrested on Thursday on two separate charges related to an incident that allegedly occurred in Florida in 2020.

komonews.com

The Washington County Sheriff’s office arrested Kendra amid an ongoing investigation, per Us Weekly. She was later released after paying a $1470 bond.

A press release from the Tonitown Police Department in Arkansas confirmed that the couple are facing four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, second degree and four counts of false imprisonment, second degree.

Low bond for sure.
Any restrictions like not being able to be with her 4 children?
Where are her children?

 

[Queen of the Winter Night]

For those that are unaware, the Duggars are not JUST "christians." They are part of a sect that many people, including other formal christian denominations, accuse of being a CULT. It is called IBLP (sometimes also referred to as ATI as the schooling aspect of it). The founder, Bill Gothard, had been accused in a large lawsuit by women who were raised in IBLP that they were sexually abused by Gothard when they were minors. This was not some distant leader, the Duggars were very close to Gothard. So for people waving away the religious aspect, I believe this is very important context.

Also, homeschool strikes again! You know I love to say it - as someone who myself was homeschooled, had a good experience, and is now helping to homeschool a family member. Public or private schooling, along with more homeschool regulations, does NOT guarantee that we suddenly have a world without child abuse. Yes, lots of abuse happens with public school kids. Both with both public and private school, you have a first line of defense of safety nets. Whereas with unregulated homeschool, there ARE NO lines of defense. And it is used as a safe haven for abusers to legally make their victims disappear and make it virtually impossible for them to seek help, essentially trapping them. This relates to Joe and Kendra as they were homeschooled, and they homeschool their children, and virtually all of their friends are also in the homeschool community. This victim most likely had very little contact - if any at all - with people outside of the homeschool community. Which is one (of many) reasons why it took them a long time to reveal what had happen. What does a child do when their entire reality is only family and family friends and virtually no one outside that circle, which includes their abuser who comes from a family who is idolized in their community? Think about how much harder that is for the victim to come forward. It is a wonder any come forward at all, but I am glad they find the courage to do so. They are true heroines.

 

[MrsWatson]

This still shocks and disgusts me just like the first time I heard MD say this about her young daughters having been molested by brother JD.


2015
"Michelle Duggar focused on her son’s behavior and intent, saying her daughters “weren’t even aware ... they didn’t probably even understand that it was improper touch.”

Josh Duggar 'was a child preying on a child,' his father says

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, stars of the hit TLC reality show "19 Kids and Counting," said they felt like failures after hearing that when their oldest son, Josh, was a teenager, he was involved in inappropriate conduct with several underage girls, including more than one of his younger sisters.

www.latimes.com

Gee, Michelle. Who's job is it to teach their children good touch vs bad touch?

 

[Knox]

For those that are unaware, the Duggars are not JUST "christians." They are part of a sect that many people, including other formal christian denominations, accuse of being a CULT. It is called IBLP (sometimes also referred to as ATI as the schooling aspect of it). The founder, Bill Gothard, had been accused in a large lawsuit by women who were raised in IBLP that they were sexually abused by Gothard when they were minors. This was not some distant leader, the Duggars were very close to Gothard. So for people waving away the religious aspect, I believe this is very important context.

Also, homeschool strikes again! You know I love to say it - as someone who myself was homeschooled, had a good experience, and is now helping to homeschool a family member. Public or private schooling, along with more homeschool regulations, does NOT guarantee that we suddenly have a world without child abuse. Yes, lots of abuse happens with public school kids. Both with both public and private school, you have a first line of defense of safety nets. Whereas with unregulated homeschool, there ARE NO lines of defense. And it is used as a safe haven for abusers to legally make their victims disappear and make it virtually impossible for them to seek help, essentially trapping them. This relates to Joe and Kendra as they were homeschooled, and they homeschool their children, and virtually all of their friends are also in the homeschool community. This victim most likely had very little contact - if any at all - with people outside of the homeschool community. Which is one (of many) reasons why it took them a long time to reveal what had happen. What does a child do when their entire reality is only family and family friends and virtually no one outside that circle, which includes their abuser who comes from a family who is idolized in their community? Think about how much harder that is for the victim to come forward. It is a wonder any come forward at all, but I am glad they find the courage to do so. They are true heroines.

Excellent post!

I’m playing catchup, saw this yesterday but didn’t have time to stop and read. Asking our group of posters at large; why was Kendra arrested- in your opinion only?

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/television/2026/03/21/joseph-duggars-wife-kendra-also-charged-after-19-kids-alums-arrest/89261388007/?tbref=hp

The wife of "19 Kids and Counting" star Joseph Garrett Duggar will be charged alongside her husband after he was arrested in Arkansas and accused of molesting a child in Florida.

Both Joseph Duggar, 31, and Kendra Duggar, 27, have been charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child and four counts of false imprisonment in Arkansas, the Tontitown Police Department announced on Friday, March 20.

Police issued a warrant for Kendra's arrest as Joseph remains held without bail at the Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, but is expected to be extradited to Florida to face his charge there...

 

[smile22]

according to cousin amy in her book she wrote. grandpa dagger s'ad many people over the years women but i'm speculating he could have done stuff to his grandsons and that's how they learned it. amy said when her and her mother lived her grandparents a lock was placed on her door to prevent grandpa from entering and harming her...

grandma didn't leave her husband so its generational and the grandkids more like grandsons thought it was ok.
as for kendra i've seen reports all over online about possibly also having locks on the doors.
her father had a falling out with jb circa 2020-2021 and told him apparently he was not allowing any of his kids to court any duggars.
I
hope she gets real help and not christian help to better herself and that she can parent her kids better and leave her husband but if those kids are in danger and if they have been abused they are better off with cps at the moment or family other than jb and michelle

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Patrimonial Burden episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit reminded me of the original Duggar show. I only watched the reality show a few times. I found the entire family to be phony as $3 bills and was not terribly surprised to learn that all was not kosher in the Duggar home. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5110040/

 

[MrsWatson]

Excellent post!

I’m playing catchup, saw this yesterday but didn’t have time to stop and read. Asking our group of posters at large; why was Kendra arrested- in your opinion only?

MOO, pure speculation

I think when their home was searched, there were clear signs of child abuse/neglect. Perhaps some of the punishments they used. That whole blanket training thing is appalling. There is just zero justification for physically punishing babies. That's just sadism, imo.

 

[COSCitizen]

Excellent post!

I’m playing catchup, saw this yesterday but didn’t have time to stop and read. Asking our group of posters at large; why was Kendra arrested- in your opinion only?

@Queen of the Winter Night writes what I wish I had taken the time to write.

To answer your question with a speculation which is not exactly an opinion. Joe and Kendra, overwhelmed by the turmoil of the past few days, couldn't get hold of anybody they trusted to baby sit their four children, so they locked them in the house while they left so their oldest child, who is seven or eight, could take care of their younger siblings, the youngest of which is four.

I find this speculation less personally upsetting than some of the alternatives, so that is my opinion right now. Arkansas (I checked!) does not have a minimum age when children can be left alone but leaves it to the parents judgment.

I have also seen speculation elsewhere that the shared charges against Kendra and Joe are to provide leverage so that Child Protective Services can interview the minor children.

The Duggars are celebrities because their parents chose to celebrate the Duggar lifestyle (which was pretty much founded on IBLP* principals) on the television channel TLC. The minor children are not celebrities because they could not give consent to being on TV, nor did they benefit by the money paid to their father, unless you consider eating considerably better after the TLC money started coming in. (Some of the adult children are reported to have received lump sums from Jim Bob and Michelle after signing NDA's. Others received real estate. In the case of Anna Keller Duggar who is married to Josh Duggar, currently serving time in Federal prison for possession of CSAM, she and her seven children are presumed to be supported by JB and M since she is the stay at home mother of seven. AD also reportedly has some real estate assets in her name.)

Kendra was 18 when she married Joe, and the marriage was featured on TLC. Kendra's first birth was filmed so it could be shown on TV.

*IBLP: Institute of Biblical Life Principals

 

[Baba O'Riley]

Excellent post!

I’m playing catchup, saw this yesterday but didn’t have time to stop and read. Asking our group of posters at large; why was Kendra arrested- in your opinion only?

My opinion only, it could be that she refused to allow the children to be released to be interviewed by authorities. CPS may have wanted to interview her four kids to see if any of them were a victim of SA. Maybe the kids were hiding out at another home, and she refused to tell LE where they were. Again, MOO.

 

[lonetraveler]

I am really having a hard time controlling my emotions on this one. This happened in 2020, so why is it just now coming out? (Not victim blaming, just trying to put together a time line) He's now had access to an uncountable number of little girls in the last 6 years. This family is turning out to be monsters.....and it makes me question how many others there are that haven't been outed yet.

Over the past few years, we've seen more and more "church" people being charge with sex crimes. That is very concerning, especially with the way they push for memberships and attendance. And this, along with my own personal experience, is why I no longer attend church.

I have ZERO sympathy for anyone who abuses a child!

Looking at the churches website, it reminds me of The Way International, another cult. (But that's a conversation for another thread)
EBM

This is also why I too, don't attend church.

 

[HerNameWasBuffy]

MOO and pure speculation, but since they both have four counts of the same two charges I think the endangerment was about their kids and something the cops found in the house.

Duggars have a long history of locking bedroom doors from the outside, so if I were a betting woman my money would be on deadbolts, padlocks, or such on the outside of the bedroom doors or on a prayer closet.

I have no idea if this happened in the Caldwell home as well, but Joseph has always struck me as a simpleton he may not see that as horrific as we do since that was his normal growing up.

I don't understand the speculation that it could stem from her trying to keep CPS from talking to the kids since that investigation started after he was in custody, they wouldn't have been able to charge him with identical counts for that.

 

[HarmonyE.]

My opinion only, it could be that she refused to allow the children to be released to be interviewed by authorities. CPS may have wanted to interview her four kids to see if any of them were a victim of SA. Maybe the kids were hiding out at another home, and she refused to tell LE where they were. Again, MOO.

My first thought too, but as Joseph got the same exact charges, it has to relate to something else. He was in custody and could not hidden the kids from authorites to prevent interviews.

My guess is they found something in the home to indicate the kids were locked up in rooms, or held in some sort of restraints as part of their normal child raising. These are really young children; I read somewhere they're between 3 and 7.

 

[MsMarple]

MOO is that people raise their children, doing the best that they can. When their adult children commit crime, it seems unfair to blame parents, or their
religion. As many of the other children in the family have not been accused of illegal activity. And the religion does not encourage or support any type of illegal activity.

I *do* blame the parents and the religion insofar as they chose to join a religion that purposely teaches that girls/women are responsible for making sure they don’t provoke men by, well, simply being female. And if a male assaults them the first step is to discern what exactly they did to cause it. Step two is to then forgive the perpetrator. What kind of parent knowingly exposes their daughters to such abuse?

Having said that, in the end Joseph is an adult and as such is responsible for his actions. Plenty of people grow up in toxic environments yet manage to live loving, moral lives. What was Joseph’s thought process when he gave himself permission to abuse a little girl?

So are we talking about nature, nurture or some combination here? What was life in the Duggar household like when the cameras were off?

All MOO

Ministry that once nourished Duggar family’s faith falls from grace

Scandal brought “19 Kids and Counting” to an end, coinciding with the waning influence of the Institute in Basic Life Principles.

www.nbcnews.com

https://people.com/tv/duggar-scandal-the-19-kids-and-counting-stars-connection-to-quiverfull/

Duggar-Inspired Chore List

Looking to organize your home but at a loss for which chores (or jurisdictions) to assign? The Duggars can help! For your convenience, TLC h...

duggarfamilyblogs.blogspot.com

 

[HerNameWasBuffy]

This still shocks and disgusts me just like the first time I heard MD say this about her young daughters having been molested by brother JD.


2015
"Michelle Duggar focused on her son’s behavior and intent, saying her daughters “weren’t even aware ... they didn’t probably even understand that it was improper touch.”

Josh Duggar 'was a child preying on a child,' his father says

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, stars of the hit TLC reality show "19 Kids and Counting," said they felt like failures after hearing that when their oldest son, Josh, was a teenager, he was involved in inappropriate conduct with several underage girls, including more than one of his younger sisters.

www.latimes.com

Was there a scandal about JD as well?! I thought it was just Josh and now Joseph who had public allegations of CSA?

 

[Baba O'Riley]

I don't understand the speculation that it could stem from her trying to keep CPS from talking to the kids since that investigation started after he was in custody, they wouldn't have been able to charge him with identical counts for that.

Speculation only, but maybe, while he is in custody, he refuses to disclose where the kids are being hidden. Thus , he is also being charged with the four counts.