Judge Expunges Duggar Child Molestation Record

Arkansas state judge makes a curious move regarding the child molestation allegations against Josh Duggar.

If you, like so many of our readers, just spent the majority of your three-day weekend working on some imminent deadline — real or imagined — and found yourself churning through whatever new content the internet could produce, then you’ve probably heard about the scandal rocking the TLC reality TV empire. For those of you that actually managed a barbeque or other fair-weather frivolity, here’s a brief recap.

In Touch Weekly released an exposé on Josh Duggar, the oldest child of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar — the Quiverfull stars of 19 Kids & Counting — alleging Josh molested five underage girls in the early aughts. The report, which contains a redacted version of a 2006 police report investigating the claims, indicates Josh “confessed” these acts to his parents and church elders — who did not alert the authorities — but instead sent him to a “Christian program” (though later in the police report it is clear that whatever program Josh attended, he never spoke with a licensed counselor) in 2003. The 2006 police investigation was initiated by Harpo Studios (yup, Oprah’s production company) when they became aware of the allegations in preparation for an appearance on the show — Oprah immediately canceled the family’s appearance on the show, natch — but the investigation stalled due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.

On the official Duggar family Facebook page, Josh appears to admit to the allegations and apologize for them.

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. 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. I sought forgiveness from those I had wronged and asked Christ to forgive me and come into my life. I would do anything to go back to those teen years and take different actions. In my life today, I am so very thankful for God’s grace, mercy and redemption.

Well… this is a pretty horrible story all the way around. But it only gets stranger. The very same day that Josh put himself at the mercy of the public (and, hilariously a marathon of 19 Kids and Counting was airing on TLC), an Arkansas state judge, Stacey Zimmerman, ordered the destruction of the 2006 police report. As the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports:

Springdale Police spokesman Scott Lewis said Judge Stacey Zimmerman ordered the 2006 offense report destroyed Thursday. Zimmerman didn’t return a request for comment Friday.

“The judge ordered us yesterday to expunge that record,” Lewis said, adding that similar records are typically kept indefinitely. “As far as the Springdale Police Department is concerned this report doesn’t exist.”

Neither Duggar nor his father, a former state representative, returned calls seeking comment Friday.

The redacted version of police report was obtained previously by In Touch and the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and is widely available online. So what gives? When media outlets attempted to obtain additional copies of the police report, they were informed the record was expunged as a result of a request from one of the alleged victims, which include at least some of his sisters, the majority of whom still live under patriarch Jim Bob’s rule.

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A Thursday FOI request from The Washington Post was answered on the same day with a court order, dated May 21, ordering that the police report in question be destroyed. The order was a result of a “motion to expunge” from one of the alleged victims.

This theme of “protecting the victims” has been repeated by many of those leaping to Josh’s defense, indicating that the allegations should stay in the past when they were supposedly “dealt with” and any conversations about this deeply troubling issue are dismissed as sensationalizing. Given the Duggars’ political connections, particularly in Arkansas, and the family’s high profile in the conservative fundamentalist Christian community, perhaps this isn’t a surprise. But the atypical treatment of Josh’s record is already drawing questions.

Judge Stacey Zimmerman’s motive for expunging Josh Duggar’s Offense Record is not clear. However, if her decision was motivated by a desire to make the story go away, it may have been a poor choice. With her past ties to Governor Huckabee proudly touted on her 2014 campaign web page, her decision to order police to destroy Josh Duggar’s Offense Record is bound to arouse suspicions surrounding her motives.

Despite whatever motives Judge Zimmerman had when ordering the destruction of the police report, it is unclear what practical effect the order will have. The cat is already out of the bag, and the allegations (complete with the redacted version of the police report) will live on the internet forever.

Police destroy Josh Duggar’s record [Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]
BOMBSHELL DUGGAR POLICE REPORT: JIM BOB DUGGAR DIDN’T REPORT
SON JOSH’S ALLEGED SEX OFFENSES FOR MORE THAN A YEAR [In Touch Weekly]
A timeline of the molestation allegations against Josh Duggar [The Washington Post]
Josh Duggar Police Report: He Groped His Sisters In Their Sleep [The Superficial]
Judge With Links To Mike Huckabee Curiously Orders Police To Destroy Josh Duggar Report [Politicus USA]
Senator: Springdale Police Chief Should Be Fired Over Child Sex-Crime Report [5 News]

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