After Media Went Wild, Jana Duggar Shares 'Raw Facts'

Update: Jana Duggar took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a statement regarding last week's report that she had been charged with endangering the welfare of a minor in September, reports Us Weekly. "I’m only sharing this because the media has been having a field day with it all," she wrote before detailing the "raw facts" of the incident, which occurred while babysitting. She wrote that one of the children "wandered outside alone," prompting a passerby to call police. "This resulted in a written citation, as well as a follow-up with child welfare who concluded that it was an accident and the child was unharmed." She described it as a scary moment and one that made her "grateful for law enforcement." Still, "I was certainly never arrested like some may have implied." Our original story from Dec. 10 follows:

Shortly after Josh Duggar was convicted of downloading and owning child pornography, his sister Jana faces charges of endangering the welfare of a minor. According to court documents, the incident happened on Sept. 9, USA Today reports. Duggar, 31, is the oldest daughter of the Duggar family, one of the first sets of twins, and co-author of the book Growing Up Duggar, about life in the reality-show family. Two of her sisters were set to star in their own reality show, Jill & Jessa: Counting On, but that was canceled when Josh was arrested in April. Details in the case are sealed. Duggar faces a possible 3-month prison sentence and a fine of up to $1,000.

The charge Duggar faces is a misdemeanor, according to Arkansas court records. She has pleaded not guilty and has a court date for a bench trial—a trial by judge rather than jury—on Jan. 10. Jana lives with her parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, stars of 19 Kids and Counting reality show, In Touch Weekly reports. That show was canceled when it was revealed that Josh had molested four Duggar sisters and a babysitter, the Hill reports. In Arkansas, a charge like the one Duggar faces means she’s accused of “conduct creating a substantial risk of serious harm to the physical or mental welfare of” a person she knew is a minor, NBC News reports. Duggar’s father, Jim Bob, is running for the Arkansas state senate in the 7th District in 2022 (More 19 Kids and Counting stories.)