Jana Duggar settles child endangerment charge out of court

Jana Duggar (l) with her mother, Michelle Duggar (r) (Photo: Instagram/Jana Duggar)

Former '19 Kids and Counting' star Jana Duggar has reached an out-of-court settlement in a child endangerment case.

Duggar, was charged last September with one misdemeanour count of endangering the welfare of a child. 

The 31-year-old changed her initial not guilty plea to guilty and has agreed to pay an $880 fine as part of the settlement, Fox News reports.

A clerk confirmed to People magazine that a settlement had been reached outside of the district court in Elm Springs, Arkansas.  

Court documents did not reveal specific details surrounding the citation, but the former reality star said on social media that a child she was babysitting "wandered outside alone" and that a passerby had then notified the police.

Duggar said the incident was an "accident" and that she was grateful the situation "ended safely".

"This resulted in a written citation and a follow-up with child welfare, who concluded that it was an accident and the child was unharmed," she said. 

"They recognized it was a case of a child slipping out of the house when you turn your back for a moment. It all happened so quickly and was scary. I am grateful for law enforcement and those who protect and serve our community.

"I was certainly never arrested like some may have implied. In the end, I was just upset at myself that it had happened at all, but so thankful it all ended safely, and that's truly what mattered most to me."

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