Josh Duggar Admitted He First Molested Underage Girls When He Was 12, Says Family Friend
But no action was taken until he was 15.
YouTube A family friend of Josh Duggar has told a court that he previously admitted to first molesting underage girls when he was 12.
At a three-hour hearing ahead of Duggar’s trial on child pornography charges, a judge heard an argument for the admittance of evidence involving Duggar’s history with molestation of underage girls.
Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar, Josh’s parents, both testified in court alongside family friends from the Holt family, former Arkansas state governor Jim Holt and Bobye Holt.
Who are Jim and Bobye Holt in Josh Duggar's trial?
Jim and Bobye Holt are longtime friends of the Duggars. Like Jim Bob Duggar, Jim Holt is also an Arkansas politician. He is also expected to take the stand in Duggar's trial.
Bobye Holt said her daughter and Josh were the same age and had been in a relationship in March 2003.
Josh Duggar told the Holts he had molested girls back in 2002.
Bobye claimed that Josh first told her he had molested underage girls in 2002, he made another admission to his parents and the Holts in 2003, and again in a 2005 conversation.
Bobye said that on March 30th, 2003, Jim Bob called the Holts over to their house because they needed to share some relationship-ending information with them.
When Bobye and Jim entered the room with Josh, Jim Bob, and Michelle, Josh told them he had touched four female minors.
That same day, he admitted that Jane Doe 4 — Jane Doe for anonymity — was sitting on his lap during Bible time when he touched her breast and vaginal areas over her clothes.
He also admitted that over the course of several years, he had touched Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2, and Jane Doe 3 in the same areas over their clothes while they slept.
According to court documents, all four minors were at least three years younger than Josh.
The Duggars and Holts are part of the same church.
The Duggars and the Holts were all a part of the same church called Bible Grace Fellowship Church.
The defense argued against the inclusion of this evidence on the grounds that Josh told the adults in his life about what he did under the guise of religious confidentiality, and therefore it can’t be used in the trial, KNWA/KFTA reports.
However, when the defense questioned Bobye, she couldn’t recall any confidentiality rules being set for their conversation in 2003 — she said that both she and her husband were giving Josh advice, something that women don’t normally do in the church.
Bobye was never a leader or an elder of the church — women typically weren’t allowed to be elders nor are they allowed to be in confidential conversations with them.
There was talk of praying that occurred during that meeting at the Duggar household, but the question was redirected to the prosecution and Bobye confirmed that prayer was a daily part of their routine and wasn’t unique to the family meeting.
Jim Bob Duggar testified after Bobye Holt.
When Jim Bob took the stand, he said he couldn’t recall any mention of Josh ever touching the minors’ vaginal areas, that he only remembered him saying he touched them over their breasts.
He said that their family was shocked but glad that he went to them on his own about it and that they took action to prevent it from happening again — pulling Josh out of their home in 2003 and seeking religious guidance and counsel from the church.
He told the court that he had asked the Holts for confidentiality during their conversation with Josh, but couldn’t remember what else was said at that time.
Since much of the argument for this evidence is based around religion and clergy confidentiality, Judge Timothy Brooks, who is overseeing this case, had to ask attorneys for clarifications.
Jury selection begins today, but the process could take up to two whole days, meaning the trial is expected to start on either Wednesday or Thursday.
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Follow him on Twitter here.