Reality TV star Joseph Duggar posted a $600,000 bond Tuesday and is returning to Arkansas after making his first court appearance in Florida on charges of molesting a child under 12, according to his attorney.
Duggar, who was arrested earlier this month in Arkansas, had been transferred to the Bay County Jail in Panama City, Florida, where he faces charges of lewd and lascivious molestation and improper contact involving a minor under 12.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Judge Brantley Clark ordered that Duggar, 31, have no unsupervised contact with anyone under 18, court records show.
Duggar, known for appearing with his family on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting, was arrested March 18 in Tontitown, Arkansas, after a 14-year-old girl told police he had molested her several times during a family trip to Panama City Beach, Florida, when she was 9.
The girl's father told police in Arkansas that he confronted Duggar about the abuse and Duggar admitted to it, an arrest affidavit said. Police officers in Tontitown had the father call Duggar with a detective on the line, and he again admitted to the actions, according to the affidavit.
Albert Sauline, who is representing Duggar on the Florida charges, said Duggar posted bond and was scheduled to fly home to Arkansas later Tuesday.
“Our No. 1 goal is to make sure he is treated fairly,” especially because of his celebrity status, Sauline said.
Separately, authorities in Arkansas filed charges against Duggar and his wife, Kendra Duggar, 27, according to Tontitown police. The charges include four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of false imprisonment. The Duggar family has not responded to requests for comment about the charges.
Duggar's older brother Josh Duggar was convicted in 2022 of downloading child sexual abuse videos. He was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison.
TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting followed the lives of devout Baptists Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their 19 children, all of whose names began with the letter J.
TLC canceled the show in 2015 after allegations that Josh Duggar had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter years earlier. Josh Duggar’s parents said he had confessed to the fondling and apologized.
