Josh Duggar Accused of Sexually Abusing 5 Underage Girls As Minor; Admits He "Hurt Others, Including My Family and Close Friends"

By Ethan Sacks
New York Daily News
May 22, 2015

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/josh-duggar-accused-underage-sexual-abuse-report-article-1.2231301

The Duggar family is digging out from a shocking scandal.

Josh Duggar, 27, eldest son of the uber-religious Arkansas clan featured in “19 Kids and Counting,” has admitted to molesting multiple girls when he was a teen.

“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,” Duggar said in a statement to People magazine on Thursday. “I confessed this to my parents, who took several steps to help me address the situation.”

Duggar admitted fondling the breasts and genitals of at least five girls, sometimes as they slept. According to TMZ, the minors that he abused possibly included his own sisters.

He has resigned his position as a lobbyist with the Family Research Council (FRC), an organization dedicated to preserving family values in America.

“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."

In a statement on its website Thursday, the FRC said: "Today Josh Duggar made the decision to resign his position as a result of previously unknown information becoming public concerning events that occurred during his teenage years," the FRC said Thursday in a statement on its website.

"Josh believes that the situation will make it difficult for him to be effective in his current work. We believe this is the best decision for Josh and his family at this time. We will be praying for everyone involved."

The allegations resurfaced this week, with In Touch Weekly getting the 2006 police report that detailed the disturbing allegations of sexual abuse after his father Jim Bob turned him into Arkansas police.

According to the publication, the “19 Kids and Counting” patriarch went to police after he caught his son leaving a young girl’s bedroom and “learned something inappropriate happened,” a source said.

On Thursday, the family released two additional statements from Josh's parents Jim Bob and Michelle, and wife Anna that were posted to the Duggar family's official Facebook page.

"Back 12 years ago our family went through one of the most difficult times of our lives. When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes and we were shocked. We had tried to teach him right from wrong," his parents said.

"That dark and difficult time caused us to seek God like never before. Even though we would never choose to go through something so terrible, each one of our family members drew closer to God. We pray that as people watch our lives they see that we are not a perfect family. We have challenges and struggles everyday (sic).

"It is one of the reasons we treasure our faith so much because God’s kindness and goodness and forgiveness are extended to us — even though we are so undeserving. We hope somehow the story of our journey — the good times and the difficult times — cause you to see the kindness of God and learn that He can bring you through anything.

Josh, who was a minor at the time of the alleged incident, was investigated for sexual assault in the fourth degree, but the charges were not pursued because of a bizarre turn of events.

The state trooper who took the report was later convicted of child pornography and is serving a 56-year prison sentence.

By the time there was interest in reopening the case, the statute of limitations had passed and the investigation was dropped.

Josh's wife Anna, 26, reaffirmed her support for her husband after the news broke Thursday, telling People that he confessed his "past teenage mistakes" two years before he proposed to her.

She stressed that her husband received counseling that “changed his life.”

Since the story emerged this week, even more shocking details about Josh’s alleged abuses have come out: Not only did Josh allegedly assault several young women, but his father also waited more than a year before contacting law enforcement.

Jim Bob and his wife, Michelle, were interviewed for the report, which revealed Jim Bob first became aware of his son’s alleged abuses in March 2002, when he was told by a girl that Josh, then 14, had touched her breasts and genital areas on multiple occasions while she was asleep.

In July 2002, Jim Bob said his son had confessed to fondling a girl while she was sleeping, which his parents responded to by disciplining him for the incident rather than reporting him to police.

The Duggar patriarch didn’t report Josh until nine months later when “there was another incident” that saw Josh again accused of fondling a girl.

In Touch reports Josh was accused several more times before Jim Bob “met with the elders of his church and told them what was going on.”

The decision was made that Josh be sent to a “Christian program” (that) consisted of hard physical work and counseling,” which he was enrolled in from March 2003 to July 2003.

Michelle later admitted Josh didn’t get counseling, but was sent to stay with a family friend for a period of time, who she said was “kind of” a mentor.

After Josh returned home from the program, his father took him to speak with Arkansas State Trooper Jim Hutchens, who is the same cop currently in prison for child pornography. Hutchens did not launch an official probe into the alleged incident, but instead gave the teen a “very stern talk.”

According to the Duggars’ interview with police, Josh “apologized” to the young women, who they claimed forgave him.

The family secret finally came out because of the discovery of a letter written by a family friend with knowledge of the incident. The letter was placed inside a book which was later loaned to a member of the Duggar family’s church.

In 2006, the Duggar family was scheduled to appear on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show. Prior to their appearance, an email was sent to Harpo Studios to alert them of the alleged sexual abuse.

The studio then faxed the letter to the Department of Human Services hotline, which led to the Springfield police opening an investigation. But this probe came to an end because the three-year statute of limitations had expired.

"Even though we would never choose to go through something so terrible, each one of our family members drew closer to God,” Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar said in a joint statement.