Additional Duggar Sex Allegations Mount: Jim Bob Waited a Year Before Turning Josh In

EDGE READ TIME: 2 MIN.

The plot continued to thicken in the Josh Duggar sex offense story as additional allegations of serial sex offenses against as many as five minors were made public Thursday in In Touch magazine. Additionally, In Touch learned that father Jim Bob sat with the information about his son's dalliances for more than a year before notifying authorities.

The 33 page 2006 Springdale, AR police report that In Touch acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request show that Josh Duggar was investigated for multiple sex offenses (some which were felonies) that included forcible fondling against five minors.

The police report that cites offenses that pre-date the investigation by four years, notes that father Jim Bob told police that in 2002, his son Josh (who was 14 years old at the time), admitted to fondling a minor's breasts while she slept. Another incident in the report notes that in March of 2003, Josh was accused by a female minor of touching her breasts and genitals. In many of the incidences, the victims were sleeping.

Rather than notify the police, Jim Bob "met with the elders of his church and told them what was going on." Josh was sent to a "program [that] consisted of hard physical work and counseling" from March 2003 until July 2003.

According to the report, when Josh returned in 2003, Jim Bob, along with other elders from the church took Josh to Arkansas State Trooper, Jim Hutchens, who gave the young Duggar a "very stern talk" but neglected to take further action. Hutchens is currently serving a 56-year prison sentence for child pornography. By the time the Crimes Against Children Division and local police got involved, the three-year statute on limitations had passed.

The officer who led the investigation has been identified by multiple sources as Sgt. Darrel Hignite.

"I can't comment or discuss [this case]," Hignite told In Touch. "Because of the sensitive nature and because it involved a juvenile."

A former used car salesman with a home-schooled high school education, Josh Duggar currently serves as executive director of Family Research Council Action, the legislative arm of the SPLC designated anti-gay hate group. His thin CV led many to believe that the FRC created the new position for him so that they could cash in on his name recognition from the TLC reality series "19 Kids and Counting."


by EDGE

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