On October 30, 2024, Brittany Patterson, a Georgia mother of four, was handcuffed in front of her children and transported to the Fannin County Police Department. She was then fingerprinted, photographed and put into an orange jumpsuit. Her crime? Let your son walk alone.
Earlier in the day, Patterson drove her oldest son to a doctor’s appointment. Her youngest son, Soren, 11, had planned to go along but disappeared when she left. Patterson thought he was outside, in the woods or playing at his grandma’s house (she lived just two minutes away).
“I thought he was in the woods, or at grandma’s house,” said Patterson, who lives with her children and their father on 16 acres.
Unfortunately, Soren wasn’t playing in the woods or spending time with his grandma. Instead, he decided to walk to downtown Mineral Bluff, less than a mile from his home.
As he was walking along the road, a woman stopped and asked him if he was okay. He replied that he was actually fine.
Despite his assurances, the woman called the police.
A deputy picked up the boy and called Patterson.
“She asked me if I knew he was downtown, and I said no,” Patterson told Reason.
Patterson was upset that Solon came into town without notifying anyone, but said there was no reason to worry.
“I wasn’t panicked because I knew the roads and knew he was mature enough to get out there safely,” she said, before noting that while she believed he was safe, the sheriff wasn’t so sure.
“She kept mentioning that he could be run over, kidnapped, or ‘anything’ could happen,” Patterson recalled.
The Sheriff drove Soren home and left him with his grandfather. After returning home, Patterson talked to his son and prepared to move on.
The situation was far from over, however, as the Sheriff returned that night with another officer. Patterson was handcuffed in front of her children and taken to jail.
She was completely shocked by the consequences of this poor communication, noting that her parenting style was a little different than others.
“The mentality here is more liberal,” she said.
Patterson was quickly released on $500 bail. The next day, a case manager from the Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) came out for a home visit and even went to Patterson School to interview his oldest son. The case manager told Patterson that everything seemed fine.
A few days later, DFCS submitted a “safety plan” to Patterson for her to sign. This would require her to appoint a “security officer” to act as an “informed participant and guardian” and to look after the children while she is away from home. The plan also required Patterson to download an app on her son’s phone so she could monitor his location.
Patterson disagreed with the rules, especially stalking her son.
Recalling similar cases, she contacted attorney David DeLugas. DeLugas is the director of ParentsUSA, a nonprofit organization that regularly provides pro bono legal assistance to parents who have been wrongly arrested and prosecuted for child neglect. A GoFundMe has been set up to help ParentsUSA cover the Patterson’s legal expenses.
As Patterson’s attorney, DeLugas called the assistant district attorney and was told that if Patterson signed the security plan, the criminal charges would be dropped.
According to Reason, DeLugas responded that if Patterson had to sign a security plan just because her son walked somewhere without her knowing his exact location, that would deter him. Visit friends or gain any independence. However, the ADA maintains that Sauron is in danger, necessitating a safety plan.
Now she refuses to sign the safety plan and faces a host of other legal consequences, including prosecution.
The matter remains unresolved.
If the country Do If charged, Patterson could face a reckless conduct charge, a $1,000 fine and a year in jail.
“I can’t sign,” she said.
This is far from the first time a parent (let’s be honest: it’s always the mom) has gotten into legal trouble simply for giving their kids more independence than others think is appropriate. In 2016, a Maryland mother was arrested for leaving her 8- and 9-year-old children home alone while buying takeout. In Manitoba, another mother was investigated by CPS for letting her three children play unsupervised in her backyard. Another mom in California is under investigation for letting her 4-year-old play in a gated community 150 feet away from her.
