Mom arrested after son was reported walking alone

November 15, 2024

Courtesy of Fannin County Sheriff's Office

(FANNIN COUNTY, Ga.) -- A mom in Georgia is speaking out about being arrested for reckless conduct after her then-10-year-old son was found walking alone.

Brittany Patterson, 41, was arrested by deputies on Oct. 30 after a witness reported "a juvenile in the roadway" who had gone into and left a nearby Dollar General store, according to a Fannin County Sheriff's Office report.

Patterson's son, Soren, now 11, was later found by deputies around one mile from the family's home. Patterson had left Soren to take another one of her children to a doctor's appointment and didn't report him missing, according to the report.

In the state, neglect by a parent can be defined as a "failure to provide a child with adequate supervision necessary for such child's well-being," according to a guideline.

Patterson told ABC News' Andrea Fujii in an interview Friday that she had been annoyed Soren didn't tell her where he was going, but didn't think he was in any danger.

"I wasn't panicking or concerned because it's just a short walk from our house. He knows how to get home," Patterson said.

In bodycam footage released by the sheriff's office, Patterson can be seen asking a deputy, "What am I under arrest for?"

"For reckless endangerment," the deputy replied.

"And how was I recklessly endangering my child?" Patterson asked, before another deputy responded, "We're not talking about it."

The deputies then handcuffed the mom.

During the arrest, Patterson also said to one of the deputies, "Last time I checked, it wasn't illegal for a kid to walk to the store."

But the deputy replied, "It is when they're 10 years old."

The arrest warrant claimed Patterson "willingly and knowingly did endanger the bodily safety of her juvenile son."

In an interview with ABC News, Patterson's lawyer David Delugas questioned the charge she is facing.

"Our criminal justice system is built on the fact that you did something or you were negligent. You did something criminally negligent. So what is it she did?" DeLugas said.

Authorities said they would drop the charge against Patterson if she signs a safety plan that involves the use of a GPS tracker on her son's phone but Patterson told ABC News she is refusing to sign it.

"I just felt like I couldn't sign that and that in doing so, would be agreeing that there was something unsafe about my home or something unsafe about my parental decisions and I just don't believe that," Patterson said.

Patterson, who is currently out on bail, faces up to 1 year in jail with the reckless conduct charge.