### Georgia Mother Arrested After 10-Year-Old Son Walks to Town Alone

FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. - A mother from north Georgia is expressing her outrage after being arrested when her 10-year-old son walked less than a mile into town while she was at a doctor's appointment with her other son. The incident occurred on October 30 and Brittany Patterson, a 41-year-old resident of Fannin County in the Blue Ridge Mountains, shared her experience in an interview with NBC News.

According to an incident report obtained by 11Alive, Patterson had left her home momentarily when deputies spotted her son, Soren, walking along Mineral Bluff Highway and Spur 60 toward the Bee Hive gas station. When questioned by deputies, the boy indicated he was fine and did not require any assistance. Soren explained that he was home-schooled and that his grandfather was at home.

Deputies initially attempted to contact Patterson by phone. After she declined the first call, requesting a text instead, deputies called again, and she answered, appearing indifferent to the fact that Soren was unsupervised. Patterson explained that she had waited for Soren to join her in the car but assumed he went to play in the woods when he did not appear and could not be found in the house.

The deputies escorted Soren back home, and Patterson assumed the situation was resolved. However, several hours later, deputies returned with a warrant for her arrest, charging her with reckless conduct. Patterson, who found the situation confusing, argued that she did not understand why it was illegal for her child to walk to the store alone and expressed that neither she nor her older children found the matter serious.

Brittany Patterson was handcuffed in front of her children, arrested and taken to the Fannin County jail, where she posted a $500 bond. The Georgia Division of Family and Child Services was also notified to check on the well-being of her children. Patterson expressed her frustration and anger over the incident, particularly the impact on her children who had to witness her arrest.

The sheriff's office offered to drop the charges if Patterson agreed to sign a safety plan ensuring her children would always be supervised. Patterson, however, has refused to sign the form, insisting that she did nothing wrong and plans to contest the charges which could result in a maximum sentence of one year in jail. "This is not right. I did nothing wrong," she told NBC News. "I'm going to fight for that."