BAY COUNTY, FLORIDA — Jill Duggar Dillard spoke out publicly for the first time since her younger brother's arrest. Joseph Duggar, 31, was arrested on Wednesday.

Joseph Duggar was charged with molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older. The Bay County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that Joseph Duggar was charged with those counts. He is accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl six years ago during a family vacation in Florida.

"Our hearts go out to the innocent juvenile victim of this unspeakable crime and her family," Jill Duggar Dillard said. Dillard and her family said they were shocked and heartbroken to learn about the accusations through media reports.

The now-14-year-old girl told law enforcement that Joseph Duggar allegedly touched her inappropriately on several occasions during a family vacation in Panama City Beach in 2020. The girl said Joseph Duggar repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap, to sit next to him on a couch, and used a blanket to cover them both. Joseph Duggar rubbed his hands on the girl's thighs, manipulated her underwear and grazed her genitals.

The girl's father confronted Joseph Duggar about the alleged abuse on Tuesday. Joseph Duggar apologized at a later date and the alleged incidents stopped. The news release said that Duggar admitted his actions to the victim's father and to Tontitown detectives.

The family said they strongly condemn abuse, support the rule of law, and hope that justice will be achieved. The family said they pray God gives the victim strength, comfort and hope, and that she is able to get all the help and support she needs and deserves in the days ahead.

Jill Duggar Dillard formerly starred in the reality show "19 Kids and Counting." The television series "19 Kids and Counting" followed the home life of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their 19 children. The series aired from 2008 to 2015.

Revelations surfaced in 2015 that Josh Duggar had molested five children, including four of his sisters. In 2022, Josh Duggar was sentenced to 12 and a half years in federal prison for receiving and possessing child sex abuse images.

The National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline is 1-800-656-4673. The National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline is run by the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN). RAINN's online chat service is available at https://www.rainn.org/get-help.