The Duggars spank their kids with a rod, according to an unsealed police report. The details of how 19 Kids And Counting stars Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar punish their children are emerging as the scandal about Josh Duggar’s alleged child molestation continues to escalate, reported the Radar Online .
Just released, the police report contains Josh’s confession that he molested a total of five girls. In addition, the details include a question from an investigator about spankings. One of the girls who was molested discussed the punishment dished out by Jim Bob and Michelle.
“They have a rod,” said the victim when asked what the parents used to spank their children. “[They] do this to all the kids.”
Josh, his wife Anna, Michelle, and Jim Bob all have issued comments about the molestation of the girls. They confessed to the past and defended themselves in various ways, noting that they had prayed and also sent Josh to treatment.
The unsealed police report also has revealed new details about what really happened to Duggar’s victims , reported the Daily Mail .
Josh molested five underage girls in 2002 and 2003, but was not charged for two reasons. First, the statute of limitations had already passed, and second, Jim Bob and Michelle failed to let anyone in authority know about what happened.
The allegations from unnamed minors included charges that Josh, then 14-years-old, had touched the girls’ private parts while they were asleep. He did confess to the initial claim, and Jim Bob called together the family for a meeting and also talked about it with his church’s elders.
Police learned about the situation in 2006, when just before the Duggars were scheduled to appear on Oprah Winfrey’s show, producers discovered the secrets that the family had hidden. It was Oprah’s staff who notified authorities.
However, as the Inquisitr reported, some questions have been posed about the treatment center to which the oldest Duggar son was sent.
In his statement on what happened, Josh said he and the victims received counseling.
“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. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life.”
But that center, the Institute in Basic Life Principles Training Center in Arkansas which Josh attended from March 17, 2003 to July 17, 2003, has been criticized. It was the target of a Child Protective Services investigation.
“[It is an] appalling…shadow world, where these kids almost disappear,” said John Krull, Executive Director of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union.
[Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images]