Jana Duggar Pleads Guilty To Misdemeanor Child Endangerment, Reportedly Hit With Fine

Jana Duggar of “19 Kids and Counting” fame has received no jail time after admitting that she endangered a child.

Duggar, 31, pleaded guilty on Dec. 15 to one misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a minor in the third degree, Fox News reports.  A spokesperson for the district court in Elm Springs, Arkansas told both Fox News and People that Duggar was ordered to pay an $880 fine as a result. The court did not immediately respond to Oxygen.com’s request for comment. 

The reality star initially pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child, according to Arkansas court records obtained by NBC News last month. A trial by judge was initially scheduled for Jan. 10.

Jana, who is single and has no children, addressed the charge last month on her Instagram story, People reports.

"I was babysitting a few months ago when one of the children wandered outside alone. A passerby who saw the child called the police," she wrote. "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 claimed that everything her family does is “open to public criticism and interest, especially during this time.”

News had broken about her arrest just one day after her brother Josh Duggar was convicted on child pornography charges. Josh, 33, was found guilty in federal court of one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. He is expected to be sentenced in April, when he faces up to 20 years behind bars for each count.

The address for Jana listed in the court docket for this case is the same one listed for Josh Duggar and other members of their family, according to NBC News. Both Josh and Jana were featured on “19 Kids and Counting,” which ran on the TLC network from 2008 to 2015. The show was filmed at a home in Arkansas where multiple family members lived together.