Jana Duggar 14: Child Endangerment Charges and Howlers Supporting Her Via Meme

[ShesCrafty]

I agree with all of you. She prefers a “private life”?! Living in the public eye is the only reason she gets to spend her days cosplaying Joanna Gaines instead of out working a real job. She’s insufferable. 

Edited December 14, 2021 by ShesCrafty

[Alisamer]

I believe Jana was scared. I believe the kid probably snuck out without her realizing it.

What I don't believe was that it was a simple case of a kid wandering, or that it was the first time it happened, or that it was just for a minute or two. It had to be something more complex to merit a citation, I'd think, or police departments would have whole divisions dedicated to kids evading supervision for a few minutes. It had to have been long enough to make the neighbors worry, frequent enough to merit a citation, or something like that. 

I also can't believe that Jana hasn't at some point threw up her hands and said "all y'all watch your own dang kids!" and gone off to her garden or something. 

[MomJeans]

15 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I hate both of them and think child endangerment is embedded into their parenting on many levels, but you can't child proof a home so a kid can't get out when you're out of state.  

 

By childproofing the house, I mean the different types of child proof gates and locks you have to physically install.

For example, where I live it's legally required that you have to have child proof locks on doors that can lead to water on your property; or a door alarm.  These are locks that either are hard for a kid to unlock, or are drilled up top to the door and frame, so only an adult can reach them. We have both, and it's really the only reason I can sleep at night.  Plus there is a child gate at the top of the stairs.

I don't think I've ever seen anything like that on the shows.  And I never thought about it until today, but it's crazy to me that have so many young kids always at the house, and no installed child-proofing.  (maybe it is there, I just don't recall seeing it).  They certainly have the money.  

[Drala]

Jana:  Tell us what happened without really telling us what happened. Your statement is rife with minimization.  You also failed to take any ownership of whatever mistake(s) you made that warranted a child endangerment charge and a visit from CPS.

[neuroticcat]

I agree that the statements are full of hypocrisy and passive aggressiveness. Jana has not gone private like some of the others, so I think that disingenuous to claim. I like Jessa’s snark but not her minimization. Nor Jana’s.

I suppose if I’m thinking really creatively, I can imagine a scenario where people are watching their house for juicy news, saw a kid wander out and immediately called the cops, and, as a result, the Duggars felt attacked or annoyed. Though they seem to feel attacked or annoyed by any criticism.

I imagine she was either absent in some way like napping or distracted or having the oldest M “help,” and, as a result, must publicly (and rightfully in my opinion) take responsibility. I think also the child may have wandered a long way before being discovered.

I think it’s interesting that JB hadn’t made a statement. I mean, it wa sin his house.  It likely involved girls, so not worth his time I guess.

Edited December 14, 2021 by neuroticcat
Clarity

[SassyPants]

I had a wanderer and worked the overnight when he was ages 4-7.  He did go to daycare on the days I needed to sleep, but I was fatigued big time, so we installed top locks on all the egress doors. These were locks on a chain, so once the primary lock was keyed and the door partially opened, the top lock could be opened with a key from outside the house. However, safety devices are only effective if they are used each and every time. In the Duggars’ home, I doubt any device would be of much use. 

[Dandruff]

14 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

What I don't believe was that it was a simple case of a kid wandering, or that it was the first time it happened, or that it was just for a minute or two. It had to be something more complex to merit a citation, I'd think, or police departments would have whole divisions dedicated to kids evading supervision for a few minutes. It had to have been long enough to make the neighbors worry, frequent enough to merit a citation, or something like that.

Isn't the TTH some distance from the road?  I would think a little kid would have to have been gone a lot longer than a few minutes to make it to the road.  If it was nighttime I'd especially be worried about wild animals on the property and the child not being visible to drivers.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

1 minute ago, Dandruff said:

Isn't the TTH some distance from the road?  I would think a little kid would have to have been gone a lot longer than a few minutes to make it to the road.  If it was nighttime I'd especially be worried about wild animals on the property and the child not being visible to drivers.

Yes it is.  If the reports that it was at a particular road are true it was about 1/4 mile from the house.  Hypothetical - if it were Maryella how long would it take for a toddler to wander that far?  Seriously asking as I have no idea.  

Someone posted an pic showing how many ponds and such are in the immediate vicinity. They are very, very lucky the worst that happened is a citation and some bad press.  Or as they would say, "blessed."

[JermajestyDuggar]

6 minutes ago, Dandruff said:

Isn't the TTH some distance from the road?  I would think a little kid would have to have been gone a lot longer than a few minutes to make it to the road.  If it was nighttime I'd especially be worried about wild animals on the property and the child not being visible to drivers.

This is their house from the road:

Edited December 14, 2021 by JermajestyDuggar

[just_ordinary]

2 hours ago, BernRul said:

I'm clearly in the minority but I love it when Jessa doesn't keep sweet. She was raised to always keep sweet and be pleasant to others; i can't criticize her for going against that. Sure I want her to direct that sass at JB and Michelle more, but the fact is until Jana's court appearance we really can't say one way or another. Maybe Jana was reckless or maybe it was the kind of mistake that could happen to anyone. We'll see.

I do like snarky comments and have no problem with Jessa being extra bitchy. I might find it over the top but it’s more entertaining than anything else. It doesn’t phase me one bit if she thinks I am a sensationalist asshole. I disagree about the „keeping sweet” comment. That’s more to describe Mormon behaviour standards. The likes of the Duggar’s expect complete obedience to parents, elders and submitting to a male headship for parents. But they have no problem with an attitude against others/strangers. 

1 hour ago, SassyPants said:

I agree. I don’t make excuses for her at all, as she’s a grown woman. I have a 31 son, and just as a comparison, he is in his final semester of grad school, works FT and has during his grad level education, has a girlfriend and a very active social life. He lives alone and is pretty much a solid citizen. Jana’s life at 31 seems pretty cushy in comparison. However, I will acknowledge, my son never had to raise or care for any human other than himself. Although he did babysit when he was a kid and people (the children) loved and requested him because he was the fun babysitter. Even as a kid, he never lost anyone. I think we can all agree the Duggar way of child rearing is abysmal at best.

I am sure your son, as countless others, would be fine if they added a child into the mix. It’s a challenge that most parents master and circumstances are never really ideal. 
 

I agree with everyone that thinks they are purposely leaving out information. If it was an honest mistake, as they claim, why is she pleading not guilty? Wouldn’t you just accept it, probably get a reduced fine and pay? They probably feel annoyed they are not under the radar anymore. Which law enforcement/cps personal would want to take the risk of not reporting an incident on them? I am sure some have a problem looking into the mirror after everything that’s public knowledge now about Josh. I definitely would put a note or whatever would be textbook action down. Just to know that I my part. 
I am sure they feel it’s unfair and it problems kind of is and isn’t. If anything, it’s the fault of JB, M and Josh because they drove their family into the highly suspect, not trustworthy territory. But they should accept that, after the welfare of children had been overlooked in the past, they are under the looking glass. Being humble was never their strength though.

[SassyPants]

5 minutes ago, Dandruff said:

Isn't the TTH some distance from the road?  I would think a little kid would have to have been gone a lot longer than a few minutes to make it to the road.  If it was nighttime I'd especially be worried about wild animals on the property and the child not being visible to drivers.

I’m sure the time was minimized. There had to be additional, safety factors which caused Jana to be fined and charged. I also think the “I was not arrested” is semantics or wordsmithing on Jana’s part. You were cited, fined, which initiated a plea from you, you have to appear and have hired an attorney. We all know JBD is CHEAP. If this was an innocent incidence and a nothing burger, all of the above would not have happened and JBD would be refusing to pay money to make it go away.

[Tatar-tot]

4 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

This is their house from the road:

There is also a waste transfer site across the street with all sorts of heavy duty vehicles rolling in and out all day.

[JermajestyDuggar]

The distance to the road is similar to the distance of the pond. There could be a fence near the pond, but there’s a fence near the road. And it looks like a fence a toddler could easily fit under. A wondering toddler in an area near a road where people drive higher speeds and a pond can be dangerous. I want to add, there are a lot of ponds that are walking distance around the Duggar house. That’s just the closest one. I counted at least 5 within walking distance.

Edited December 14, 2021 by JermajestyDuggar

[socalrules]

I wonder if Jana left the house to go to the store or something when it happened and police were called before she got back. Something had to have escalated it for her to have been charged and I don’t think the police are just targeting the family. 

[neuroticcat]

15 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Yes it is.  If the reports that it was at a particular road are true it was about 1/4 mile from the house.  Hypothetical - if it were Maryella how long would it take for a toddler to wander that far?  Seriously asking as I have no idea.  

Someone posted an pic showing how many ponds and such are in the immediate vicinity. They are very, very lucky the worst that happened is a citation and some bad press.  Or as they would say, "blessed."

I mean, I have kids in the M age ranges, and it could vary based on the kid. I would guess average of 20 minutes if they were making a beeline for the fence. I could see a kid like my 4 year old sprinting down those hills though and others meandering around for a long time. The reality, is, though, if there were a 21 month old or really any kid under 10 wandering unattended near the fence - even inside of it, I think any driver noticing would call. Picture a little tot alone halfway down that green hill and what you would do.
 

I don’t think six kids is too much for one adult to watch, but with that many, you usually have to maneuver things and plan ahead  to make sure they are “safe.” For instance, I have three preschool aged, so when I’m putting the baby down for a nap I pop on a preschool show for the other two in another room. I keep the door open and we have baby gates and safety locks and deadbolts, but I suppose they theoretically  could pry themselves away from the TV (unlikely) and break out of the front door, and I wouldn’t notice until either the baby was asleep and I came out to find they were gone or someone else noticed.

I hope the Duggars learn the importance of TV after this. 😂

But, as others have noted, the Duggars house is gigantic and the kids are pretty free range in general, so I imagine they’ve had multiple close calls over the years. I bet Jana was really scared - whether she was looking for the child before or not until the police arrived, it would be terrifying. I feel sick thinking about it. Maybe this happened early in the morning, and one of the older buddies got up with a little one while Jana was asleep. Perhaps older buddy was at fault and Jana woke up to discover this situation.

 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

2 minutes ago, neuroticcat said:

Picture a little tot alone halfway down that green hill and what you would do.

I don't disagree, but the citation indicates the location of the incident was a 2 lane highway.  If the kid hadn't left the property it wouldn't have been worded that way.  Whomever it was was on the road.

3 minutes ago, neuroticcat said:

Perhaps older buddy was at fault and Jana woke up to discover this situation.

I think you probably meant Jana had left Mac in charge, but that would still not make it her fault.  I agree 6 kids isn't too much for one adult family member to watch (barring unusual circumstances) but 5 younger siblings way too much for a 12 year old.  

If that's what happened maybe this will wake Jana up to how wrong the buddy system was.  

[neuroticcat]

3 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I don't disagree, but the citation indicates the location of the incident was a 2 lane highway.  If the kid hadn't left the property it wouldn't have been worded that way.  Whomever it was was on the road.

Oh wow, I didn’t know it said the child was on the highway - then longer to get out on the road, I’d think. And it’s not like the person reporting it could just walk the child back to the front door because of the coded gate. 

[SassyPants]

The Duggars are very lucky nothing happened to that child. 
Legally speaking, I’d really like to know what caused this to be labeled a crime (negligence; child endangerment ) vs an accident. Details, I need details. I keep going back to the age of the child and the adult in charge being unaware of the absence. It’s been reported that Jana denied knowing the child. Maybe the child was left in the car when LE went to the door? And Jana, not knowing that anyone was missing at the time, said she didn’t know the child. Then she looked around and realized X M child was in fact missing? 

Edited December 14, 2021 by SassyPants

[neuroticcat]

17 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I don't disagree, but the citation indicates the location of the incident was a 2 lane highway.  If the kid hadn't left the property it wouldn't have been worded that way.  Whomever it was was on the road.

I think you probably meant Jana had left Mac in charge, but that would still not make it her fault.  I agree 6 kids isn't too much for one adult family member to watch (barring unusual circumstances) but 5 younger siblings way too much for a 12 year old.  

If that's what happened maybe this will wake Jana up to how wrong the buddy system was.  

I agree. Buddy system is awful. Way too much responsibility for any babysitter. Of course they have no concept of that since as young teens they were essentially nonstop babysitters for three or more young children.

[Anne Of Gray Gables]

If it's an M kid, I still think it's more likely to have been the four year old. That's an awful long way for a 2 year old to go. It makes me sad to think he may have been looking for Mommy or Daddy, and got lost looking for his home.

[neuroticcat]

I think Jana released her statement because Jim Bob told her to. I doubt she has true independence on her socials.

I wonder if theoretical M kid was sent home or something and got lost. Maybe oldest M was in her house with younger buddies and Jana sent younger M to her and neither knew little kid wasn’t with the other. A million ways to speculate.

[Silence]

Is it possible that if it’s a M kid that Jana was watching them in their wareHOUSE?
I think that’s closer to the road!
 

[gustava]

8 minutes ago, Silence said:

Is it possible that if it’s a M kid that Jana was watching them in their wareHOUSE?
I think that’s closer to the road!
 

I wondered if the M Kids were at the warehouse, which is quite close to the road, and Jessa was supposed to be watching them but told Mac to do it.....

[fundiesarefascinating]

57 minutes ago, SassyPants said:

The Duggars are very lucky nothing happened to that child. 
Legally speaking, I’d really like to know what caused this to be labeled a crime (negligence; child endangerment ) vs an accident. Details, I need details. I keep going back to the age of the child and the adult in charge being unaware of the absence. It’s been reported that Jana denied knowing the child. Maybe the child was left in the car when LE went to the door? And Jana, not knowing that anyone was missing at the time, said she didn’t know the child. Then she looked around and realized X M child was in fact missing? 

I'm a CPS worker (though in another country, so grain of salt) but my 2 cents would be that this could be a repeat offence. First time it happens, it is an accident. But repeated incidents could have LE escalate how they respond. It's also plausible that the kiddo in question did end up with a 'superficial' injury, wasn't wearing shoes, had a full diaper etc which could all contribute to a 'negligence' charge. Very curious for all the details to come out. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

9 minutes ago, gustava said:

I wondered if the M Kids were at the warehouse, which is quite close to the road, and Jessa Jana was supposed to be watching them but told Mac to do it.....

FTFY.