Jessa Duggar Defends Sister Jana Duggar’s ‘Innocent Mistake’ Amid Child Endangerment Charges

Former Counting On star Jessa Duggar defended sister Jana Duggar’s “innocent mistake” that led to her child endangerment charge., just one day before Jana broke her silence and addressed the incident in a statement.

“She was babysitting and one of the kids slipped out the door unnoticed, but it ended safely,” Jessa wrote via Instagram Stories on Monday, December 13. “Could’ve happened to anyone.”

The mom of four, who shares kids Henry, Ivy, Spurgeon and Fern with husband Ben Seewald, admitted the attention surrounding Jana, 31, made her “mad” because she felt like it was “because of other current family circumstances.” 

Jessa was speaking in reference to their eldest brother, Josh Duggar, being found guilty of two counts of possessing and receiving child pornography on December 9.

“She is without question one of the most amazing women I know, and I’d trust her with my kids any day of the week,” Jessa’s statement continued. “Do me a favor — give the girl a break and all you perfect humans go back to living your lives.”

Until Jessa’s statement, details on what *exactly* happened have been scarce since the victims are minors.  

The alleged incident Jana was involved in happened on September 9, according to a citation report obtained by In Touch. The charge against her, which was a third-degree misdemeanor, was filed the next day. Following the charge, Jana was fined $430.

Weeks later, on September 23, the eldest daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar formally entered a not guilty plea, which was first reported by Without a Crystal Ball. Her hearing is set for January 10, 2022.

Jessa isn’t the only 19 Kids and Counting alum to speak out in support of her big sister.

James Duggar posted, “I support Jana Duggar,” via Instagram Stories on December 11 before brother Jason Duggar reshared the photo to his own Stories and added, “Bro, same.”

Amy King (née Duggar) also stood by Jana and said she “bet” her cousin was “exhausted, stressed and just emotionally worn out” from the situation. 

“I will call out what is right and I will call out what is wrong,” Amy, 35, wrote via Instagram. “This couldn’t have been intentional. Thank God the child was OK and found!”

The boutique owner added, “Watching multiple kids is hard! [Because] 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 [Jana,] love you.”