What did Jana Duggar do to endanger a child?

On September 9, 2021, Jana Duggar was charged with third-degree “endangering the welfare of a minor,” a misdemeanor. She was arrested and let out on $430 bail, and a “not guilty” plea was entered on September 23. The details of the situation were at first unknown to the public, but now we have more info.

News of this charge only came to light to the public the day after her brother Josh Duggar was found guilty of possessing child sexual abuse images and videos.

Jessa Duggar confirmed that what happened was a child Jana was babysitting “slipped out” of the door without Jana’s knowledge. “Getting messages about headlines about Jana. Bottom line — it was an innocent mistake,” Jessa explained on an Instagram story. “She was babysitting and one of the kids slipped out the door unnoticed, but it ended safely. Could’ve happened to anyone.”

Jana’s cousin Amy has defended her on social media. “I will call out what is right and I will call out what is wrong,” Amy Duggar King said about the situation. “This couldn’t have been intentional.”

“I bet you were exhausted, stressed and just emotionally worn out. Watching multiple kids is hard! Bc there’s so many of them and you only have two eyes!! It’s a very sad situation going on and my heart goes out to @janamduggar love you.” She went on to say that the child was “okay and found.”

Jana later took to her own Instagram to address the issue directly. She said that a concerned passerby saw the child after they had left the house and called the police. “They recognized it was a case of a child slipping out of the house when you turn your back for a moment,” Jana said about her interaction with the police. “It all happened so quickly and was scary. I am grateful for law enforcement and those who protect and serve our community.”

Jana followed up by saying that she’s upset with herself that it happened, but she’s thankful that the child was safe in the end, because that’s what matters most to her.