A Josh Duggar scandal has gone public, and is trending online today. According to the International Business Times , Josh was actually turned in to the police by his father, Jim Bob Duggar, back in 2005 for a situation involving Josh and a girl. Several media outlets are referring to the act as a “sex crime,” though what allegedly happened is unclear.
While the story is just a rumor at this point, the International Business Times suggests that Josh didn’t get in trouble for his actions because the state trooper who responded to the case had a bit of a scandalous life of his own. Sources say that Officer Joseph Hutchens pleaded guilty to eight charges (sounds like child pornography related) back in 2007.
Evidently, the state police didn’t follow through with Josh’s case in an appropriate amount of time, so he didn’t get in trouble. Some seem to think that Hutchens’ own secrets may have saved Josh Duggar from being charged.
“By the time state police contacted the Child Abuse Hotline years later, the case reached the statute of limitations and there was nothing authorities could do about Duggar. The connection between Hutchens and the Duggars has not been verified, and neither Josh nor Jim Bob has publicly addressed the sex scandal accusations.”
Josh Duggar hasn’t responded to the scandal, and neither has his dad, Jim Bob. According to Radar Online , this all started when Jim Bob found out that his son — who was a minor at the time — had snuck into a girl’s bedroom and “ inappropriately touched ” her. Sources say that Jim Bob — a devout Christian — was “mortified” and that he “did what he thought was right” by going to the police to turn in his own son.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr , several sources claim to have read the police report . Why this story is coming out now, and not any time over the past decade, is unclear, and makes it sound fabricated, but who knows? Maybe it is all true.
19 Kids And Counting is extremely popular, and this large family seems to always be in the news for something (usually it’s another baby announcement. Most recently, Jessa Duggar announced that she is expecting her first child with her husband, Ben Seewald).
Do you think the Josh Duggar scandal will keep floating around, or will this story go away quietly? Do you think the Duggars will respond to the rumors?
[Photo via Josh Duggar / Instagram]