It sounds like
Family Research Council Executive Director (or
right-wing Spokesbigot) and
19 Kids and Counting star
Josh Duggar has been a very naughty boy. He's very lucky that he's not in jail right now.
In Touch Weekly:
Rumors about Josh have swirled for years, but In Touch’s investigation has uncovered the secret he has been hiding. “I saw and read the report and it clearly stated that Jim Bob brought his son Josh into the Arkansas State Police and spoke to a state trooper about Josh’s involvement in alleged inappropriate touching with a minor,” one source told In Touch.
The first report was filed shortly before 2005. Josh and his wife, Anna, have three children and live in Washington, D.C., where he is a lobbyist for the Family Research Council.
Treva Bowdoin at Inquisitr:
Josh Duggar allegedly did something terrible when he was a teen, according to a recent report. However, he majorly lucked out, and his parents are likely thanking God that the 19 Kids and Counting star isn’t being shunned by the fans who worship the Duggar family.
In Touch Weekly alleges that Josh Duggar “was named in a police report as the ‘alleged offender’ in an underage sexual abuse probe.” It’s important to point out that In Touch didn’t provide any documentation of this probe, instead citing “multiple sources who have seen the police report and are familiar with the case.”
The police report allegedly said that Josh was turned into the police by his own father, Jim Bob Duggar. Jim Bob told the cops that his then-underage son was caught leaving a minor girl’s bedroom, and Josh potentially could have been charged with sexual assault in the fourth degree. According to the Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault, a person commits sexual assault in the fourth degree by engaging in “sexual contact with another person, not the person’s spouse, who is less than sixteen (16) years of age.”
[...]
Josh Duggar avoided potentially being prosecuted because it was discovered that the cop who took the police report was in possession of child pornography. By the time Josh’s case started getting attention again, the statute of limitations was up. This means that he could no longer be prosecuted. In other words, Josh wasn’t ever charged with anything. Jim Bob Duggar has never spoken about this incident, and it seems as though he never bothered pursuing legal action after initially turning his son in.
Emily at Starcasm:
According to a new report, 19 Kids and Counting‘s Josh Duggar was investigated by the Arkansas State Police in 2005 for the alleged sexual abuse a female minor. Josh would have been 16 or 17 at the time.
In the new issue, InTouch cites “multiple sources who have seen the police report and are familiar with the case” who said Josh was turned into cops after dad Jim Bob Duggar found him leaving the minor’s room and “learned something inappropriate happened.” A source added the incident involved “inappropriate touching,” which could have resulted in a sexual assault in the fourth degree charge.
[...]
It has been previously reported that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar sent Josh to ALERT, a bootcamp-style training camp designed by controversial IBLP founder Bill Gothard. A short time after he returned, he met and married Anna Duggar.
Could this finally be the end of
19 Kids and Counting on TLC? Let's hope so.
Wed May 20, 2015 at 3:08 PM PT: More fallout on Josh Duggar:
Jenny Kutner at Salon:
The Duggar family might not be quite as “wholesome” as they would hope. According to a new report, Josh Duggar — the eldest of the “19 Kids & Counting” crew and a current anti-gay activist — was named as the alleged offender in a 2004 underage sexual abuse investigation. And he was reportedly turned in by none other than his father, Jim Bob.
Thu May 21, 2015 at 2:58 PM PT: Even more info has come to light, and it's that Duggar Family patriarch Jim Bob didn't file a police report for more than a year after Josh's arrest.
InTouch Weekly has the scoop:
Jim Bob Duggar waited more than a year after his son, Josh, confessed to sexually molesting several female minors before contacting police, In Touch Magazine is reporting exclusively, based on information contained in the official police report.
What’s more, Jim Bob informed the elders of his church about Joshua’s actions and they waited three months before contacting authorities. The explosive new information is contained in a Springdale, Ark., police report obtained by In Touch Magazine.
[...]
Other bombshells in the police report are: Josh Duggar was investigated for multiple sex offenses — including forcible fondling — against five minors. Some of the alleged offenses investigated were felonies. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were interview by the Springdale Police department on Dec. 12, 2006. The report says that James told police he was alerted in March, 2002 by a female minor that Josh — who turned 14-years-old that month — had been touching her breasts and genitals while she slept. This allegedly happened on multiple occasions. In 2006, Jim Bob told police that in July, 2002 Josh admitted to fondling a minor’s breasts while she slept. “James said that they disciplined (redacted, Josh) after this incident.” The family did not alert authorities.
[...]
The alleged victims all described a consistent scenario of Josh touching their breasts and genitals and later apologizing. They said Jim Bob was aware of the situation and did not go to authorities for more than a year.
Thu May 21, 2015 at 3:18 PM PT: Per @RightWingWatch on Twitter, Josh Duggar has resigned from Family Research Council:
Joe.My.God:
"Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends. I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life. I would do anything to go back to those teen years and take different actions. I sought forgiveness from those I had wronged and asked Christ to forgive me and come into my life. In my life today, I am so very thankful for God's grace, mercy and redemption."
- Josh Duggar, announcing his resignation from the Family Research Council in a statement to People Magazine.