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Georgia mom arrested after son, 10, walks alone less than a mile from home, netizens defend her, ‘This is absurd’
Brittany Patterson was arrested on child endangerment-related charges for letting her 10-year-old son, Soren, walk into town alone, less than a mile from home.
A Georgia mother was arrested on child endangerment-related charges for letting her 10-year-old son walk into town alone, less than a mile from home. Brittany Patterson, 41, of Mineral Bluff, Georgia, is now refusing to strike a plea deal.
The Fannin County Sheriff’s Department arrested Patterson on October 30 after she left her son, Soren, alone at home and he wandered less than a mile into town, NBC News reported. Initially, the sheriff’s department called Patterson to let her know that her son was unaccompanied in the town located near the North Carolina border. Deputies later drove Soren home, and returned hours later to handcuff and arrest Patterson in front of her family.
“It’s not a super dangerous or even dangerous-at-all stretch of road,” Patterson said, talking about the street that leads from their rural home to the town of Mineral Bluff. “I wasn’t terrified for him or scared for his safety.”
Patterson was eventually booked on suspicion of reckless conduct and posted a $500 bond. She expressed her anger and frustration at her children having to watch her being handcuffed and booked by police. She has also argued that the charges are completely unwarranted, and rejected an offer to drop them. Anincident report reviewed by 11Alive stated the mom "found [the situation] to be a laughing matter, and [Brittany] could not comprehend why this was a serious issue."
The Sheriff’s Office told Patterson the charges would be dropped if she signs a form that outlines a safety plan for her kids. “This is not right. I did nothing wrong,” Patterson said. “I’m going to fight for that.”
The National Association of Parents, which is an organisation that advocates for “parents’ rights to raise their child as they see fit,” has launched a GoFundMe for Patterson.
‘This is absurd’
A video of Patterson’s encounter with police was shared by X user Collin Rugg, where many took to the comment section to defend the mom.
“What is wrong with this country…,” one user commented on the above video. “I had a house key when I was 7 years old. I was a latchkey kid. Most of time during the summer I didn't come home until dusk. Under these standards, my parents would have been in jail forever,” another said. “This is absurd,” one user commented, while another wrote, “So American children can’t walk outside alone anymore without their parents getting arrested? When I was a kid in the 90s, we’d be riding bikes, playing street hockey, etc. for hours unsupervised.” One wrote, “Government overreach and interference into the lives of families is getting worse. This is a prime example. Sad to see.”
