Brittany Patterson 41, a mom of four from Mineral Bluff Georgia, faced arrest on charges of child endangerment after a woman found her 10-year-old son Soren walking a mile from home in a nearby town.
A worried person saw Soren close to a road by the woods and called the Fannin County Sheriff’s Department right away.
Law enforcement contacted Patterson, who didn’t know Soren had gone out by himself. She said she has immediate family living on or near the property, so her kids can visit their relatives at will.
When deputies told her they had found Soren near town, Patterson seemed a bit irritated but not worried. She later said, “The roads here are safe and not dangerous,” and adding that Soren is “smart and mature.”
Deputies then drove Soren home, and at first, they didn’t take any more action. She also said, she scolded Soren for leaving the house without informing her.
However, a few hours later, law enforcement came back to take Patterson into custody. They suspected her of reckless behavior. The arrest happened in front of her kids.
Ms. Patterson said her mom got her out of jail on $500 bail that same night. She faces up to a $1,000 fine and a year in jail if convicted of reckless conduct.
The situation has grown more complicated. The authorities proposed dropping the charges if Patterson agreed to sign a safety contract promising to supervise her children at all times.
Patterson turned down this offer claiming she was not guilty and stating she would contest the charges in court. “This is not right. I did nothing wrong,” she said. “I’m going to fight for that.”
Patterson’s lawyer, David DeLugas, raised concerns about whether parents now need to keep track of their children’s exact location all the time hinting that the charges set an unrealistic bar. “Are all parents going to have to put GPS on their child?” DeLugas asked adding, “The parents get to decide for their children unless it is dangerous.”
