Josh Duggar's sisters say they weren't aware of fondling, AP reports

NEW YORK (AP) — Two of reality TV's Duggar sisters fondled by Josh Duggar say they weren't aware it had happened until he confessed and their parents told them about it.

Jill and Jessa Duggar, part of the family featured in TLC's "19 Kids and Counting, were two of the four sisters who Josh Duggar touched inappropriately a dozen years ago. They talked about it with Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly in an interview set to air Friday night.

Jessa Duggar said that her brother was "a young boy in puberty" who was "a little too curious about girls."

In the wake of the incidents, the sisters said the parents restricted the children from playing games like hide and seek and placed locks on bedrooms where the girls and boys slept.

According to police documents secured by inTouch Weekly,  27-year-old Josh Duggar confessed to his father on three separate occasions in 2002 that he performed multiple acts of molestation against his sisters and a family friend. Duggar was 15 when he allegedly came to his parents upset and crying, the documents state, and told them that he had touched his sisters while they were sleeping.

Jim Bob Duggar and his wife waited 16 months before they contacted authorities, documents show. The behavior allegedly worsened during the months, police said.

The Duggars did eventually take Josh to a state trooper, who is currently serving time behind bars in an unrelated case. The trooper was only told of one alleged molestation incident, he told inTouch Weekly in a jail interview, and didn’t report the child abuse.

Josh, 27, apparently cannot be charged due to the statute of limitations.

He released a statement last month:

“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.”


Josh also has resigned from his position with the Family Research Council, according to People.