A bombshell report from In Touch has revealed 19 Kids and Counting star Jim Bob Duggar knew about his son Josh's alleged sex offenses for more than a year before he contacted police. Documents from 2006 obtained by the magazine report Josh told his father he had groped several underage girls in 2002 and 2003. Before contacting police Jim Bob allegedly informed his church elders, who waited more than three months before reporting the allegations.
Police didn't investigate Josh until 2006, and by then the statute of limitations had run out. Josh was sent by his family to work with a family friend who did remodeling as punishment, and his mother, Michelle, admitted he was only "kind of" a mentor. After returning from the "program" Josh met with Arkansas State Trooper Jim Hutchens, another family friend. Hutchens didn't launch any sort of investigation and instead gave Josh a "very stern talk." Now Hutchens is serving 56 years in prison for child pornography.
It wasn't until the Hutchens family was set to appear on Oprah in 2006 that the police took action. Someone emailed the show about Josh's sexual assault allegations, and Harpo Productions forwarded the allegations to the Department of Human Services hotline. Once the investigation began Jim Bob tried to stop police from interviewing Josh and attempted to hire a lawyer.
Update 5/21/15 (4:47 p.m.): Police are going to destroy documents with all the names and details in the police report, according to TMZ. One of the victims requested the documents be destroyed out of fear an unredacted version of the report would surface, and a judge signed the order.
Update 5/21/15 (7:23 p.m.): Josh Duggar has released a statement to People that comes as close to outright admitting to molestation in this situation as you can get without explicitly admitting to molestation.
"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," Josh Duggar told People. "I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. 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."
Josh Duggar has also resigned from his position as Executive Director of the Family Research Council. His parents and his wife also gave statements to the magazine.
