Mom arrested after her 11-year-old walked a mile into town alone

• Brittany Patterson's 11-year-old son walked alone to a local dollar store without telling her.
• A stranger called the police because he feared he might be in danger, even though he said he was fine.
• Patterson was charged with reckless conduct. She faces one year in prison and a $1,000 fine.

This essay is based on a conversation with Brittany Patterson, 41, a real estate agent and mother of four from Fannin County, Georgia. It has been edited for length and clarity.

On October 30, 2024, near the end of my 14-year-old son Evander's doctor's appointment, my cell phone rang at lunchtime. It was the police.

The sheriff's deputy asked if I knew that my youngest son, Soren, who was about to turn 11, was alone in our downtown area. “No,” I said.

It turned out he was less than a mile from our house in the woods where he homeschools. The deputy wanted to know why he was there, how he got there and why I didn't know where he was.

The police took him home

I was annoyed that Soren went into town without telling me or other family members first, but I didn't panic. I told her that I knew the streets and that he was mature enough to walk there without incident.

The deputy said it wasn't safe because it was a dangerous road. She said anything could have happened, including a kidnapping.

Fifteen minutes later, as I was rushing home from the doctor, my father called to tell me that the police had dropped Soren off. My mother and I scolded him for leaving the house without telling us where he was going or how long he would be staying.

We discussed what had happened. Soren was supposed to accompany me to the appointment, but he wasn't there when I called out that it was time to go.

I thought he had decided he wanted to stay. I wasn't worried because I knew we would be back in about an hour and a half.

We live on a 16 acre rural property which includes our house which includes an in-law suite for my father who is always home. My mother and sisters live in a building a three-minute walk away. The children – we also have two daughters, Enola, 16, and Selah, 12 – always commute back and forth between the accommodations.

We grew up with a lot of independence

My husband Josh works as a school principal in Montana. We both grew up with a lot of freedom and independence. We are free range parents who want the same life for our children. They are allowed to go back into the forest and dig and build forts. They ride their dirt bikes or go to the neighbor's house where there is a nice flat spot to play basketball.

Soren told me that he was bored during his lunch break and just wanted to go for a walk. He entered our small town of 370 on the side of the road, where the speed limit is 25 to 35 miles per hour. He strolled through the gas station to say hello to his friend's grandma, who works there.

She wasn't there, so he went to Dollar General. He was on his way home when a lady called him to her car in front of the post office.

“She asked if I was OK and I said I was OK,” Soren told me. She asked him who his mother was and he told her my name. Then he got a little nervous – he felt like he shouldn't talk to her – and just walked away. I suspect she called the police at some point.

I didn't care about Soren running to Dollar General because I'm fine with that. I was annoyed that he didn't let me know he was leaving when he left the property. It was a communication thing. He apologized and we continued the afternoon.

I was arrested

At around 6:30 p.m., the deputy sheriff and another officer knocked on our door.

I opened the door, held up my finger and asked if they could give me a moment to end the call with my client. “You have to go out now,” the deputy said. They asked me to turn around and put my hands behind my back. Soren sat right there and watched the whole thing.

They said I was under arrest for reckless conduct and took my phone.

They took my fingerprints at the station. They undressed me and forced me to change into an orange jumpsuit. They scanned my body and took my mugshot.

I was only there for an hour and a half. My mother and sister paid $500 to have me released on bail, and I was home by 8:30 p.m

On Halloween, a case manager from the Department of Family and Children Services visited our home and spoke with the children, my mother, my sister-in-law, and my father.

I was asked to sign a security plan

The next day I contacted David DeLugas, the founder of ParentsUSA, A nonprofit organization that provides often pro bono legal assistance to parents falsely accused of child neglect.

The case manager texted me on November 5th because she wanted to come over to go over what was called a safety plan. I had to assign a “security person” – presumably my mother – to act as a “knowing participant and guardian” to look after the children when I was away. Under her supervision, I also had to download a tracking app on Soren's phone so I could monitor his location.

DeLugas, an attorney, explained the pros and cons of me signing the security plan – or not.

I decided it was better not to sign it. I knew the potential risk – that officials might push the issue and maybe even try to evict my children from my house – so it's scary.

But I think it's more important to stand up for what we believe in. My children all support this decision because we talked about everything that happened. We understand that the maximum penalty could be a $1,000 fine and up to one year in prison. DeLugas is helping us fight the allegations.

Meanwhile, friends and family have said they are worried because they sometimes leave their children home alone or take their children out for walks like Soren did. Now you're wondering if the police will show up about this.

None of us want the government to tell us how to raise our children.

Editor's note: Business Insider verified Patterson's account through documents. We contacted the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services and the assistant district attorney handling Patterson's case for comment on whether the charges will be dropped. You haven't replied yet. The Fannin County Sheriff's Office said it does not comment on pending cases.