Jana Duggar Charged With Endangering the Welfare of a Minor, Sept 2021 *Guilty*

[Sillybilly]

25 of only 65 posts had to be removed for discussing rumor.

Websleuths is fact based. Rumors are absolutely not allowed. The next person to introduce or discuss a rumor in this thread will receive a 1 month TO from the board.

Thread is closed until tomorrow.

 

[mickey2942]

I really wonder if the Duggars have been targeted for "escalated" monitoring. Due to many factors, the least of which may be jealousy of their fame and fortune.

We may not ever have the facts of this case, but INMO, we have all seen some pretty egregious child neglect, with many direct examples on WS, with caretakers getting no charges, even for kids who completely vanished.

So, it may be time to move the compound from Arkansas.

 

[CharlestonGal]

"Such a charge as the one faced by Jana Duggar would generally include the allegation that a defendant engaged "in conduct creating a substantial risk of serious harm to the physical or mental welfare of a person known by the actor to be a minor," according to Arkansas law.

Jana Duggar faces up to three months behind bars and a fine of up to $1,000 if convicted, according the Arkansas Sentencing Commission’s standard punishment range for such a charge.

On Thursday, a federal jury in Fayetteville, Arkansas, found Josh Duggar, 33, guilty of downloading and possessing child sex abuse images on his work computer in May 2019. There is no evidence that the allegations against Jana Duggar are related to his case.

Jana Duggar, Josh Duggar's sister, charged with endangering minor

 

[Cool Cats]

Josh Duggar's Sister Jana Is Charged With Endangering Welfare of a Minor - E! Online

According to court documents filed with the Washington County District Court in Arkansas and obtained by E! News on Friday, Dec. 10, the 31-year-old Counting On alum was cited with the misdemeanor on Sept. 9. Her attorney, Gregory F. Payne, entered a not guilty plea on her behalf on Sept. 23.

A citation from the Tontitown Police Department did not provide details into what led authorities to charge Jana, though the document stated that she was cited around 3:01 p.m. at her home in Springdale, Ark.

Jana Duggar, Josh Duggar's sister, charged with endangering minor

Jana Duggar, 31, pleaded not guilty through an attorney on Sept. 23, the court docket shows. The alleged violation happened Sept. 9, it states.

A trial by judge is scheduled for Jan. 10.

 

[CharlestonGal]

Okay, so we now at least know that whatever happened happened at the house. So not seatbelts or car seats or careless driving or leaving kids in a car or something like that. Could there have been some kind of accident/injury that required calling for medical assistance? Did someone call LE or CPS with some kind of concern?

I honestly can't see Jana deliberately putting children at risk. But being charged with child endangerment is a pretty serious consequence of whatever it was.

There are A LOT of children on that property and this is now the second adult living there that has been charged with harm to children. I know CPS records are sealed, but I hope they are involved and monitoring the children at that compound. jmo

 

[Doghairrules]

I feel bad for jana. She has been put upon and put upon by her parents for decades and now her siblings apparently feel free to leave their kids for her to raise as well. Does anyone pay her for this service she provides??? Does she control anything about her own life? Does she even have her own space, away from siblings that are 15-20 years younger than her?

I have no idea what happened but I would almost bet it would be related to having too many kids under one person’s care.

 

[x_files]

Does anyone think this will end up being related to Josh's case?

yes.

 

[mickey2942]

Geez, take a plea, pay a fine, move on. Most of the time, charges are dismissed with a plea agreement. Some sort of fine, probation.

"Nolo Contendere" is common in these cases.

 

[RickshawFan]

Geez, take a plea, pay a fine, move on. Most of the time, charges are dismissed with a plea agreement. Some sort of fine, probation.

"Nolo Contendere" is common in these cases.

It sounds like she plans to go to trial, though.

 

[CharlestonGal]

Geez, take a plea, pay a fine, move on. Most of the time, charges are dismissed with a plea agreement. Some sort of fine, probation.

"Nolo Contendere" is common in these cases.

I think she's still trying to get her business off the ground. She started Arbor Acres, LLC back in 2019 but doesn't seem to have done much with it yet. She may not want a child endangerment conviction on her record. I'm not sure if the business has anything to do with kids, as the description is really vague:

Per the website, “We are passionate about finding beauty in our surroundings, gathering people together, and all things creative. We hope this becomes one of your favorite destinations for ideas that make you excited about life and all the good it has to offer! Stay tuned.”

IMO

 

[mickey2942]

I think she's still trying to get her business off the ground. She started Arbor Acres, LLC back in 2019 but doesn't seem to have done much with it yet. She may not want a child endangerment conviction on her record. I'm not sure if the business has anything to do with kids, as the description is really vague:

Per the website, “We are passionate about finding beauty in our surroundings, gathering people together, and all things creative. We hope this becomes one of your favorite destinations for ideas that make you excited about life and all the good it has to offer! Stay tuned.”

IMO

Taking a plea, with charges dismissed without prejudice is not a "conviction". Huge difference. People do it all of the time.

A conviction though, never goes away. That is why people take plea deals all of the time.

 

[Shamrock1]

Does anyone think this will end up being related to Josh's case?

No. If Josh was around his kids without his wife supervising, his bond would have been revoked. I don’t think Josh’s terms allowed Anna to delegate supervision to anyone else. If Jana allowed Josh near children (like nieces/nephews) it wouldn’t just be Jana in trouble. JMO.

 

[Ruminations]

It sounds like she plans to go to trial, though.

It’s a bench trial- no jury, right?

I see the trial was pushed to January from October.

The range of possibilities is huge: whatever Jana is accused of, if true, could be something that public would think, that could have happened to me. But for the GOG go I, etc.

And, whatever happened might seem less serious 4 months after the fact- To Cool Cats’ point about pressing charges, it is true that LE is less likely to deep if the endangered child’s guardian is an important or crucial witness, and reluctant to testify.

I personally think I would take it to trial in her shoes if the cost benefit worked out. Would getting the whole truth out stop rumors, and leave people feeling that what she did was not that bad? And would the difference in the public perception be worth the billable hours?

On the other hand, if what she did was awful, a plea deal could keep it more private.

Unless something credible comes out to the contrary, I give Jana full benefit of the doubt that, even if she did something bone-headed, she had no intention of harming a child.

MOO

 

[Ruminations]

Taking a plea, with charges dismissed without prejudice is not a "conviction". Huge difference. People do it all of the time.

A conviction though, never goes away. That is why people take plea deals all of the time.

Isn’t a plea equivalent to a conviction on a lesser charge? Or for a smaller punishment for the same charge?

I would think, for tens of thousands of dollars, unless this is a trivial, trumped up charge, a good lawyer good get the charges dismissed after taking some related safety class and a period of no repeats. If it is really an understandable accident- like kids fighting over a toy tumble down the stairs and one fractures a forearm- she could probably get it dismissed (with good lawyers) outright.

That would get her out of a conviction.

I have no idea what happened, and I am speculating.

MOO

 

[Shamrock1]

I really wonder if the Duggars have been targeted for "escalated" monitoring. Due to many factors, the least of which may be jealousy of their fame and fortune.

We may not ever have the facts of this case, but INMO, we have all seen some pretty egregious child neglect, with many direct examples on WS, with caretakers getting no charges, even for kids who completely vanished.

So, it may be time to move the compound from Arkansas.

There was a witness on the citation report. The fact that there was a witness suggests to me that something happened outside the home, like a child wandering into the street. What Happened to Jana Duggar? What We Know About the Charge Against Her

While there are many examples of parents not even getting a citation for obvious neglect, there have been plenty of parents arrested for comparatively minor things with no injuries to the child - a few examples below.

I don’t think anyone is “targeting” the family. It’s the opposite, given photos of things like unsafe firearm handling/storage. JMO.

Arrested for leaving kids in food court while 30ft away with kids in sight during job interview: Mom accused of leaving kids at food court during job interview

Arrested (17 days in jail upon arrest) for 9yr old playing at park: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cb...st-over-daughter-alone-in-park-sparks-debate/

Arrested and eventually found not guilty for leaving children age 3, 7, and 9 in motel room while she worked down the street: Mom found not guilty of charges after leaving kids in Liberty motel while she worked | WKBN.com

 

[Springrain]

No. If Josh was around his kids without his wife supervising, his bond would have been revoked. I don’t think Josh’s terms allowed Anna to delegate supervision to anyone else. If Jana allowed Josh near children (like nieces/nephews) it wouldn’t just be Jana in trouble. JMO.

I agree. I think the punishment would be much harsher, the bail set much higher, and Anna would also be in trouble if Jana had been charged with letting kids near Josh. Also, I'm certain that would have been breaking the rules for Josh's bond and he would have been sent to prison ASAP.

 

[Cool Cats]

There was a witness on the citation report. The fact that there was a witness suggests to me that something happened outside the home, like a child wandering into the street. What Happened to Jana Duggar? What We Know About the Charge Against Her

While there are many examples of parents not even getting a citation for obvious neglect, there have been plenty of parents arrested for comparatively minor things with no injuries to the child - a few examples below.

I don’t think anyone is “targeting” the family. It’s the opposite, given photos of things like unsafe firearm handling/storage. JMO.

Arrested for leaving kids in food court while 30ft away with kids in sight during job interview: Mom accused of leaving kids at food court during job interview

Arrested (17 days in jail upon arrest) for 9yr old playing at park: S.C. mom's arrest over daughter alone in park sparks debate

Arrested and eventually found not guilty for leaving children age 3, 7, and 9 in motel room while she worked down the street: Mom found not guilty of charges after leaving kids in Liberty motel while she worked | WKBN.com

Wow. Interesting.

What we now know - MSM Sources:

1.) Happened September 9th
2.) 3:01pm
3.) At the Duggar home in Springdale, Arkansas
4.) Charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Minor a third degree misdemeanor
5.) Bail was set at $430
6.) Her attorney entered a not guilty plea on September 23rd
7.) Trial by Judge pushed from October to January 10th
8.) Attorney is Gregory F. Payne
9.) Witness is Jason Hart

• What Happened to Jana Duggar? What We Know About the Charge Against Her
• Josh Duggar's Sister Jana Is Charged With Endangering Welfare of a Minor
• Jana Duggar, Josh Duggar's sister, charged with endangering minor

 

[Cool Cats]

Isn’t a plea equivalent to a conviction on a lesser charge? Or for a smaller punishment for the same charge?

I would think, for tens of thousands of dollars, unless this is a trivial, trumped up charge, a good lawyer good get the charges dismissed after taking some related safety class and a period of no repeats. If it is really an understandable accident- like kids fighting over a toy tumble down the stairs and one fractures a forearm- she could probably get it dismissed (with good lawyers) outright.

That would get her out of a conviction.

I have no idea what happened, and I am speculating.

MOO

Yes a plea results in a conviction on a lesser charge.

Like say you have 2 felony charges and you get one felony dropped and one felony changed to a misdemeanor.

Then you plead guilty to just the one misdemeanor. You are found guilty of less charges and of less severe charges, and you get a much lighter sentence.

From what I can see in MSM, Jana hasn't taken a plea. So far she has a bench trial scheduled before the judge but I assume she could negotiate a plea if she and her attorney decide that is best for her.

I hope it won't stay on her record. Be nice if she could meet some court conditions and then have it dropped.

 

[Springrain]

From what I can see in MSM, Jana hasn't taken a plea.

I see varying information on MSM about the situation, but I have found some MSM articles that indicate Jana took a plea deal. I am really not sure what's going on though. I have seen other MSM sources say she pleaded not guilty. Here are some that say she took a plea deal.

Daily Mail: Jana Duggar, 31, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and taken a plea deal | Daily Mail Online
Blast: Jana Duggar Enters Plea Deal After Being Charged With Misdemeanor Child Endangerment

 

[Cool Cats]

I see varying information on MSM about the situation, but I have found some MSM articles that indicate Jana took a plea deal. I am really not sure what's going on though. I have seen other MSM sources say she pleaded not guilty. Here are some that say she took a plea deal.

Daily Mail: Jana Duggar, 31, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and taken a plea deal | Daily Mail Online
Blast: Jana Duggar Enters Plea Deal After Being Charged With Misdemeanor Child Endangerment

Thank you, I appreciate it.

I have been looking at various articles to try to put together a picture of what is going on.

I think the information is so new that there is some confusion on the facts when it gets reported in MSM.

We need to keep checking, see if we can get the true story. There is a Court Site with the Docket information. This would be the most update and accurate information if we can find it.

When checking articles I look to see if they even mention the Docket.