Did the Duggars Play the Statute of Limitations Game?

[davidpdx]

7. You make some very good points

Here is the timeline I found:

March 2002: The 33-page police report reveals that Jim Bob Duggar tells police his son admits he fondled the breasts and genitals of several victims while they were sleeping in the family's home, and that similar incidents happened four to five times.

May 2002: Jim Bob Duggar loses a primary bid for the Republican Senate seat to Senator Tim Hutchinson in Arkansas. Duggar ran on a platform that "rape and incest represent heinous crimes and as such should be treated as capital crimes."

July 2002: Duggar says his son Josh came to him in July and reported that he touched one of the victims while they were sleeping on the couch. Duggar says his son was punished after the incident, according to the police report.

2003: In March of 2003, nine months after the first incidents, Jim Bob Duggar and his wife Michelle Duggar are made aware of two more incidents, according to the report. In one instance, he allegedly molested a victim while she was sitting in his lap, according to the report. Around the same time, the person (name redacted) put his hand beneath a victim's dress in the family's laundry room, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar tell the police.

Jim Bob Duggar meets with the elders of his church to discuss what action they can take to prevent further abuse, according to the police report. He says the elders agree that Josh needs treatment.

Jim Bob Duggar tells police that Josh Duggar went through a Christian counseling program from March 17 to July 17, where he "did manual labor and had counseling," according to the 2006 police report. It's unclear whether the counseling program was with a certified counselor, and Jim Bob Duggar tells police he cannot recall the name of the facility, according to the report.

Shortly after Josh returns from treatment, Jim Bob Duggar, Josh Duggar and a church elder tell a police official about the incidents, according to the report. Jim Bob Duggar says Josh Duggar admitted the abuse to Joseph Truman Hutchens, a former Arkansas state trooper.

Jim Bob Duggar tells police Hutchens gave Josh a "very stern talk" about what might happen if he "continued such behavior." Jim Bob Duggar tells police that Hutchins said "there was nothing else to do," according to the report.

(The trooper, Hutchens, is currently serving 56 years in Arkansas prison on child pornography charges.)

September 2004: The Duggar family appears on a Discovery Health special called 14 Kids and Pregnant Again.

Dec. 7, 2006: The Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline receives an anonymous tip about sexual abuse occurring in the Duggar household. In the 2006 police report, Springdale Police Department reach out to the family to schedule interviews.

The family is in Chicago for a scheduled interview with Oprah Winfrey and cannot speak to police until they return on Dec. 11, according to the report.

The Oprah Winfrey Show receives an email on Dec. 7, 2006, from an unnamed female that reports abuse. Harpo Studios faxes the letter to the Department of Human Services Hot Line. Oprah cancels the appearance.

Dec. 12, 2006: Police interview Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar at the Springdale Children's Safety Center in Arkansas. Police interview several alleged victims and the person believed to be the perpetrator.

December 20, 2006: Police determine that the time in which they could press charges has expired.

2007: While the mainstream press remains largely unaware of the sexual abuse allegations, online message boards are a flurry with allegations about Josh Duggar, as reported by Gawker.

2008: The first episode of 17 Kids and Counting premieres on TLC. (Over 15 seasons, the family grows to 19 kids.)

May 19, 2015: InTouch publishes an article detailing claims that Josh Duggar sexually abused minors when he was a teenager.

May 21, 2015: InTouch publishes a police report detailing sexual abuse in the Duggar household. The publication obtains the report through a FOIA request. Josh appears to confirm allegations in a Facebook post.

"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, 27, writes in the Facebook statement.

Josh Duggar also resigns from the conservative Family Research Council, where he worked as a lobbyist.

May 22, 2015: Amid the scandal, TLC announces they are pulling reruns of 19 Kids and Counting.

May 22, 2015: Arkansas police destroy the 2006 police report. Springdale Police spokesman Scott Lewis tells the AP that Judge Stacey Zimmerman ordered the 2006 offense report destroyed.

May 26, 2015: Walgreens pulls ads from the Duggar's reality TV show. It's the fourth major retailer to pull advertisements from the show, joining Payless ShoeSource, General Mills and Choice Hotels. More than a dozen other advertisers have pulled ads from the show and the TLC network since news of the sexual abuse allegations surfaced.

May 27, 2015: Hutchens tells InTouch that Jim Bob Duggar hid the extent of Josh Duggar's alleged abuse. He says he would have reported the incident if he had been aware that there was more than one incident of abuse.

May 28, 2015: Hulu appears to pull several episodes of 19 Kids and Counting from its site, though the company has not confirmed whether it will pull the series. When users click on the first 12 episodes of the series, a "404 error page" comes up.

June 3, 2015: Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar appear on television for the first time since news of the sexual abuse scandal broke. The Duggar's acknowledge that four of the victims were their daughters, including younger sisters Jill and Jessa, who also spoke to Fox News reporter, Megyn Kelly.

There are a lot of questions there that need to be answered:

What was the connection between the Duggars and the state trooper? If they did not know him directly, who told the Duggers to talk to him?

Who knew about the abuse and when, and did anyone who knew have the responsibility to report that to the authorities?

Did the abuse happen when the Duggars claim it did or are they changing dates to make it appear that the statute of limitations has run out?

How many victims were there and how many times were they abused and when?

Was there a wide ranging conspiracy to cover up a felony both inside and outside the family?