Josh Duggar Not Guilty? Police Destroy Duggar Record of Molestation, Say It Doesn’t Exist
Springfield, AR, Police destroyed the record that Josh Duggar molested five girls, according to USA Today.
Without a report, some believe Josh Duggar is not guilty of the crime, despite his admitting to and apologizing for his actions Thursday. Others believe he should be forgiven for his actions, including presidential candidate hopeful Mike Huckabee and the Duggar family, among others.
As far as the Springfield, Arkansas, police department is concerned, the report accusing Duggar of molesting five girls “doesn’t exist,” according to Springfield Police spokesperson Scott Lewis via USA Today.
Some of the victims are said to be Josh’s own sisters.
On the set #selfie with @TLC @EricaRHill & @duggarfam #19Kids @JessaSeewald @BenSeewald @SiDuggar! pic.twitter.com/7Oyhk27H19
— Josh Duggar (@joshduggar) May 20, 2015
The statement from the police comes just days after a judge ordered the department to destroy the 2006 molestation report against Duggar, even though the reality star had already admitted to his “inexcusable actions” and apologized for his “wrongdoing” Thursday.
After the accusations went public last week, Josh Duggar said,
“‘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.”
Just days after Duggar apologized, he resigned from the Family Values Council, TLC pulled 19 Kids and Counting, and pulled Josh and the rest of the Duggar family from a TLC-sponsored Pennsylvania event at Penn’s Landing on May 30, among other backlash as a result of the admitting to the incident.
Lewis said Judge Stacy Zimmerman ordered the report against Duggar destroyed.
“The judge ordered us yesterday to expunge that record,” according to Lewis, who also added that records similar to Duggar’s are typically kept indefinitely. “As far as the Springdale Police Department is concerned, this report doesn’t exist.'”
Zimmerman, a Washington County Juvenile Court judge, ordered the cited privacy as the reason for destroying the molestation accusation records, saying one of the “victims is still a minor,” according to the Arkansas Online Democrat-Gazette, and that victim asked it to be destroyed. She feared her name would become public record.
According to In Touch Weekly, which published a copy of the destroyed complaint online, Jim Bob Duggar did not report his son’s alleged crimes for over a year.
The Duggar family had sent Josh away in 2003 for three months to Little Rock as a punishment for “repeated behaviors” Josh admitted to in 2002, according to the Arkansas Online Democrat-Gazette.
After Josh returned home, Jim Bob and a church elder took Josh’s problem to Cpl. Hutchins from the state police in 2003.
Cpl. Hutchins recommended the church elder and Jim Bob do nothing for Josh. Since the family had already sent Josh to treatment that consisted of hard labor, “there was nothing else to do” for him.
Great to visit w/ my friend @GovMikeHuckabee this morning in DC. Thankful to have his voice on the #2016 stage! pic.twitter.com/qN2FiyadVf
— Josh Duggar (@joshduggar) May 16, 2015
Turns out that Cpl. Hutchins was eventually convicted of child pornography, and is now serving 56 years in a state prison, according to the Arkansas Online Democrat-Gazette.
As a former State Representative, Jim Bob Duggar is still active in Arkansas politics. He attended Mike Huckabee’s presidential candidacy kickoff event earlier in May along with Josh and the rest of the Duggar family.
Since the molestation accusations were made public, Huckabee has rallied behind Josh Duggar with a Facebook post supporting him, saying the world should forgive Duggar his past sins because he was young.
Jim Bob, Michelle, Josh, and Anna also posted statements via their official Facebook account, each of them explaining Josh’s actions, how sorry he is that he did “wrongdoing” and that each family member has forgiven him.
Thousands of Huckabee “fans” and supporters, as well as Duggar family fans, most of whom self-identify as conservatives, Christian, or both, responded to disagree– calling Huckabee a hypocrite, along with the Duggar family.
Some even pointed out that not only did none of those who posted on Josh’s behalf apologize, or even acknowledge the damage done to the victims, but each of the family members and even presidential candidate hopeful Huckabee excused his actions.
As a result, many of those who posted — some who admit in their comments their own experiences with molestation — say they will no longer support the Duggars, or vote for Huckabee in the primaries.
Josh Duggar announced he would also be withdrawing from a Christian homeschooling event in Sandusky, according to E! Online.
TLC has since pulled 19 Kids and Counting from the air indefinitely, according to the Daily Mail.
Even though Josh Duggar admitted his “mistakes” and apologized for them, many of his long-time supporters believe he committed the alleged crime of child molestation, as evidenced by the comments on Facebook.
According to U.S. law, every person is innocent until proven guilty. Even if Josh Duggar admitted to wrongdoings, and apologized for them, if not to his victims, the report no longer exists, and statute of limitations ran out long ago, according to the Daily Mail.
Unless someone points the finger anew, Duggar will never stand trial or be convicted of these particular alleged crimes.
Does the lack of a report, or passing of the statute of limitations, mean Josh Duggar is not guilty, even though he admitted to “inexcusable” actions?
[Photo Credit: Duggar Family Official/Facebook, Mike Huckabee/Facebook, Josh Duggar/Twitter, In Touch/Imgur]
