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Josh Duggar sued Arkansas Department of Human Services in 2007 over investigation into molestation allegations: report
By Kirthana Ramisetti
The Arkansas state trooper who was first made aware of the Josh Duggar molestation allegations has refuted Jim Bob Duggar’s version of events. In an interview with In Touch Weekly, Joseph Hutchens, who is serving a 56-year sentence for child pornography, said the patriarch's account of his son's actions led him to decide not to report Josh to an abuse hotline. In 2006, the Springdale, Ark., police department ended its investigation into allegations that 14-year-old Josh had molested five girls (including possibly his sisters) in 2002 because the statute of limitations had run out. The police were unable to proceed with the probe because Hutchens did not file a report after Jim Bob told him about the abuse. Jim Bob had told police in 2006 there had been five victims and multiple incidents of abuse — but the former trooper alleged he was only told of a single incident. “Josh had inappropriately touched (name redacted) during the time she was asleep,” Hutchens said. “He said he touched her through her clothing and he said it only happened one time.” The former trooper added that he has “lost a lot of sleep” over his lack of action in bringing the Duggars’ situation to the police's attention. “I did what I thought was right and obviously it wasn’t,” he said. “If I had to do it over again, I would have told him immediately I am going to call the hotline and contacted the trooper that worked those cases and have a full report made. I thought I could handle it myself.” Besides scoring an interview with Hutchens, In Touch also reports that Josh Duggar sued the Arkansas Department of Human Services several months after the police closed their 2006 investigation. The publication reports that after the Springdale police department ended its probe into the molestation allegations, the department referred the issue to the Families in Need of Services agency, which looks into cases involving minors. The Department of Human Services was also brought into case, the publication reports. Nine months after the two agencies looked into the matter, Duggar sued the Department of Human Services, with the trial taking place August 6, 2007. Records related to the investigation and the the trial are sealed, according to In Touch. But a source familiar with the investigation said “it was likely that Josh appealed the DHS decision or finding from their investigation.” “(DHS also) had the authority to apply restrictions or stipulations about him being at home with the victims,” the source added. “Josh would be considered an in-home offender, giving DHS the authority to do an investigation. As part of your appeal rights you can request a DHS hearing to challenge what they found and their ruling.” In Touch, which first broke the story about the molestation scandal, leading Duggar to admit to “wrongdoing,” reports the Duggar family has refused to comment on the agencies’ investigations or the 2007 trial. As a result of the scandal, the Duggar family’s TLC series “19 Kids and Counting” has been pulled off the schedule indefinitely. Four of the show’s major advertisers have also yanked their ads from the show. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, the parents of the embattled reality clan, are said to be “devastated” over the leak of their son’s “teenage mistakes,” a source tells People. “They know that they did the best they could, but it doesn't mean they're not filled with regret.” Even though their family’s show has suffered major fallout from the scandal, the source added that the Duggar parents aren’t focused on the future of “19 Kids and Counting.” “Right now they’re just focused on their faith — and each other.”
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