Jana Duggar's Cousin Amy Defends Her After She's Charged With Endangering Welfare of a Minor

"I will call out what is right and I will call out what is wrong...This couldn't have been intentional," Amy King wrote on Instagram Stories, defending her cousin Jana Duggar.

By Alyssa Morin Dec 12, 2021 9:48 PMTags
Watch: Josh Duggar Found Guilty of Receiving & Possessing Child Pornography

Just two days after Jana Duggar was charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, her cousin has come to her defense.

On Saturday, Dec. 11, Amy Duggar King took to Instagram Stories to show her support for Jana—the eldest daughter of 19 Kids and Counting stars Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar— after she was cited with a misdemeanor on Sept. 9, per court documents filed with the Washington County District Court in Arkansas and obtained by E! News on Friday, Dec. 10.

"I will call out what is right and I will call out what is wrong," Amy wrote. "This couldn't have been intentional."

She added, "I bet you were exhausted, stressed and just emotionally worn out. Watching multiple kids is hard! Bc 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 @janamduggar love you."

In her message, Amy alleged that "the child was okay and found" but didn't provide additional details.

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The Complete Duggar Family Tree

E! News has reached out to Jana's attorney and the Duggar family, as well as Amy for comment.

janamduggar / Instagraam

According to court documents, the reality TV star's attorney, Gregory F. Payne, entered a not guilty plea on her behalf on Sept. 23.

It's unclear what led authorities to charge Jana, as the citation from the Tontitown Police Department did not provide details into the case. However, the documents stated that Jana was cited around 3:01 p.m. at her home in Springdale, Ark.

A court date has been scheduled for Jan. 10, 2022.

Jana's legal troubles came to light just one day after an Arkansas jury found her older brother, Josh Duggarguilty of one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

Josh faces up to 40 years in prison, up to 20 years for each count, and fines up to $500,000 (up to $250,000 for each count). He is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. Following his conviction, his attorneys told E! News that they plan to seek an appeal.

In an exclusive statement provided to E! News after the verdict, Jim Bob and Michelle said, "This entire ordeal has been very grievous. Today, God's grace, through the love and prayers of so many, has sustained us. Our hearts and prayers are with anyone who has ever been harmed through CSAM [Child Sexual Abuse Material]."

"As parents, we will never stop praying for Joshua, and loving him, as we do all of our children," the couple added. "In each of life's circumstances, we place our trust in God. He is our source of strength and refuge. Thank you for your prayers."

janamduggar / Instagraam

Amy spoke out about Josh's guilty verdict, writing on Twitter, "May the juror's and Judge Brooks seek healing / counseling from all that was exposed to them. May the children grow up with real Godly men as father figures who will guide and protect them. May the people who were once in disbelief have their eyes opened for the first time."

"May the daughters who were abused feel validated. You are truly beautiful and worthy of love. May there be intense counseling / healing. May there be wisdom for all those involved on how to move forward," she shared in a separate Twitter post. "Justice has been served."

Josh's sister Jill Dillard and her husband, Derick Dillard, also broke their silence. 

"Today was difficult for our family," the two said in a statement posted on their website. "Our hearts go out to the victims of child abuse or any kind of exploitation."

They added, "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."  

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