Georgia Mother Arrested After Son Walks Alone to Nearby Town

Brittany Patterson faces a legal battle after being charged with reckless conduct for her 10-year-old son's solo walk on a rural road.

Brittany Patterson, a mother of four in Fannin County, Georgia, was arrested after her 10-year-old son walked less than a mile to town alone while she was at a doctor's appointment.
The arrest followed a 911 call from a concerned citizen who saw the boy walking along a rural road; police later charged Patterson with reckless conduct.
Georgia law permits children aged 9 to 12 to be left alone for up to two hours, and Patterson’s son was under the supervision of his grandfather at the time.
Patterson declined to sign a proposed safety plan from the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services, which included monitoring her son's movements via a tracking app.
The case has sparked a national conversation on parental rights, with critics arguing the arrest reflects a growing culture of over-policing parenting decisions.