A Georgia mom is fighting back after being arrested because her 10-year-old son walked to a store alone. The case has sparked debates over parenting, safety, and personal rights, with many wondering: did she really do anything wrong?
It all started on October 30 in Mineral Bluff, Georgia—a quiet, rural area where kids often roam freely. Brittany Patterson, a mom of four, was taking one of her older kids to a medical appointment. She called out for her son, Soren, to join them, but he didn’t respond. Patterson assumed he wanted to stay home, where his grandfather also lives, so she left without him.
What she didn’t know was that Soren decided to take a walk to a nearby Dollar General store, about a mile away. A bystander saw him walking alone and called the police. Deputies picked Soren up, brought him home, and left him safe and sound with his mom. Patterson thought that was the end of it.
But a few hours later, deputies came back—this time to arrest her. Body camera footage shows Brittany confused as officers told her she was being charged with reckless conduct. She protested, saying, “It’s not illegal for a kid to walk to the store.” But one deputy responded, “It is when they’re 10 years old.”
Patterson spent about 90 minutes in jail, where she was fingerprinted and given a mugshot before being released. She was also presented with a “Safety Plan” from Georgia’s child welfare agency. The plan required her to track her son’s location with GPS and have a backup guardian when she’s not home. Patterson refused to sign it, saying she doesn’t believe it would make her son any safer.
Her lawyer, David DeLugas, argues that Patterson didn’t do anything wrong. He says this is an example of authorities overstepping their bounds. “Her son was never in danger,” DeLugas said, adding that many parents would have handled the situation the same way.
Georgia doesn’t have a law that says how old a child must be to walk alone or stay home unsupervised. State guidelines suggest kids aged 9 and up can be left alone for a short time, depending on their maturity. However, Patterson’s arrest warrant claims she didn’t know where her son was and didn’t report him as missing.
Patterson disagrees with that interpretation. “There’s a difference between not knowing his exact location every second and thinking he’s missing or in danger,” she said. She added that if she ever thought Soren was in real danger, she would have called the police herself.
Experts say cases like this are rare but not unheard of. In 2016, a mom faced charges after leaving her kids alone while she picked up food, and in another high-profile case, Maryland parents were investigated for letting their kids walk home from school alone. These incidents highlight how parenting practices—and law enforcement responses—can vary depending on community norms and personal beliefs.
Emma Hetherington, a legal expert, says most parents don’t need to worry about facing charges for giving their kids some independence. “What feels safe in one community might seem dangerous in another,” she explained. However, she also noted that families from minority backgrounds may face stricter scrutiny in similar situations.
As for Brittany Patterson, she plans to keep fighting the charge. “I want to stand up for my right to parent my kids the way I see fit,” she said. Many agree, seeing this as a moment to rethink how society balances child safety and parental rights.