Counting controversies. Jana Duggar was recently charged with a misdemeanor in the aftermath of her brother Josh Duggar‘s arrest.
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The former TLC personality, 31, was charged endangering the welfare of a minor in Arkansas on September 10, according to the Elm Springs District Country Clerk. In her home state, consequences for child endangerment range from paying fines to spending up to 90 days in jail. A court date is reportedly set for January.
News broke of Jana’s case one day after Josh, 33, was convicted in his lengthy court battle following his April arrest. The political activist was found guilty on Thursday, December 9, with the jury ruling on two charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. He was not sentenced at the time but could face up to 20 years in jail and $250,000 in fines for each count.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar‘s eldest son shares children Mackynzie, 12, Michael, 10, Marcus, 8, Meredith, 6, Mason, 4, and Maryella, 2, with wife Anna Duggar. In October, one month before his trial began, the couple welcomed baby No. 7, daughter Madyson. Amid the scandal, Anna, 33, has stood by her husband’s side.
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After the jury rested their case on Thursday, Josh’s parents thanked fans for their continued prayers. “This entire ordeal has been very grievous. Today, God’s grace, through the love and prayers of so many, have sustained us. Our hearts and prayers are with anyone who has ever been harmed through [child sexual abuse material],” the couple, who share 19 children, told Us Weekly in a statement.
Jim Bob, 56, and Michelle, 55, noted that they would “surround our daughter-in-law Anna and [her] children with love and support,” adding, “As parents, we will never stop praying for Joshua, and loving him, as we do all of our children.”
Before a verdict was reached in Josh’s trial, his family’s reality series Counting On was axed from TLC. The network previously asserted that they had cut all ties with Josh in 2015 after he was accused of molesting multiple girls — some of whom were his sisters — as a teenager in the early 2000s.
While many of her relatives addressed Thursday’s news, Jana did not make a public statement. However, she was spotted at the courthouse days prior with her father. Her sister Jill Duggar and brother-in-law Derick Dillard also made appearances at the trial, later breaking their silence on the hearing in a lengthy blog post.
“Today was difficult for our family. Our hearts go out to the victims of child abuse or any kind of exploitation,” the couple, who wed in 2014, wrote on Thursday. “We are thankful for the hard work of law enforcement, including investigators, forensic analysts, prosecutors and all others involved who save kids and hold accountable those responsible for their abuse.”
The 30-year-old Growing Up Duggar coauthor noted that “nobody is above the law,” which she felt was made clear by the jury’s verdict.
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“We have been lied to so much that we wanted to hear the evidence for ourselves in court. After seeing all the evidence as it was presented, we believe that the jury reached a just verdict today, consistent with the truth beyond a reasonable doubt. … This trial has felt more like a funeral than anything else. Josh’s family has a long road ahead. We stand with them, we are praying for them, and we will seek to support them however we can during this dark time,” she and Dillard, 32, concluded.
Unlike her siblings, Jana has yet to start a family of her own, telling Us exclusively in July 2020 that she wasn’t “worried” about being slower to tie the knot.
“Yes, I long to be married and one day I think that will come, but I think … I’m just also just trying to stay busy with whatever comes along my path,” she said at the time. “I think if I sit there and I’m like, ‘Oh no, I’m not married,’ and just [get] all worried about it, it makes things way worse.”
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