Joseph Garrett Duggar, 31, a former star of the reality show “19 Kids and Counting,” was arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving sexual activity with a child during a 2020 family vacation in Panama City Beach. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office announced the charges March 18, 2026, after the now-14-year-old victim disclosed the alleged incidents during a forensic interview. Duggar faces a life felony charge that carries a potential sentence of life in prison and mandatory registration as a sexual offender under Florida law.
The victim, who was 9 years old at the time of the alleged incidents, told investigators that Duggar repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap during the family vacation at a home on Danny Drive in Panama City Beach. According to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, Duggar also asked the child to sit beside him on a couch and covered them with a blanket, then allegedly manipulated her underwear, grazed her genitals, and continued to rub his hands on her thighs. The victim reported that Duggar eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology.
Bay County investigators were contacted by a Tontitown police detective about the report of past sexual abuse after the victim’s father confronted Duggar about the incidents on March 17, 2026. Duggar admitted his actions to both the victim’s father and to Tontitown detectives, according to the sheriff’s office. The Tontitown Police Department in northern Washington County, Arkansas, arrested Duggar, who is currently awaiting extradition to Bay County to face the charges.
The arrest comes during Panama City Beach’s spring break season, when the Northwest Florida Panhandle destination sees increased law enforcement activity. Panama City Beach Police Chief JR Talamantez said, “Our officers are out there every day ensuring compliance, and the goal is simple − keep our visitors safe while they enjoy everything Panama City Beach has to offer.” As of March 16, code enforcement officers had issued more than 20 citations to people who brought alcohol onto the sandy beach in March, and law enforcement arrested three people for the offense under the city’s no-alcohol ordinance.
Joseph Duggar’s arrest follows years of legal troubles for his family, particularly his older brother Josh Duggar, who was convicted of possessing child pornography in 2021 and sentenced to more than 12 years in prison in 2022. The original “19 Kids and Counting” series was canceled in 2015 following revelations that Josh had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter when he was a teen. Joseph was the seventh oldest of the 19 siblings featured on the TLC reality series that documented the large Arkansas family.
The family’s troubles led to multiple show cancellations, including the spinoff series “Counting On,” which was canceled following Josh’s arrest in 2021 after 11 seasons. In 2023, a four-part limited docuseries titled “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets” explored revelations about the family, including how parents Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar joined the Institute for Basic Life Principles as a young couple.
Duggar is scheduled to be extradited to Bay County, where he will face the life felony charges in Florida’s court system.