A Georgia mom is refusing to strike a plea deal after she was arrested on child endangerment-related charges over her 10-year-old son’s unsupervised walk into town.
Brittany Patterson, 41, of Mineral Bluff, Ga., was arrested by the Fannin County Sheriff’s Department on Oct. 30 after she left her son alone at home and he wandered less than a mile into town, according to NBC News.
The Fannin County Sheriff’s Department initially called the mom to alert her to the fact that her son Soren was unaccompanied in the town located near the North Carolina border.
“It’s not a super dangerous or even dangerous-at-all stretch of road,” Patterson told the outlet, referring to the street that leads from their rural home to the town of Mineral Bluff. “I wasn’t terrified for him or scared for his safety.”
Deputies drove Soren home and, hours later, returned to handcuff and arrest her in front of her family.
Patterson was booked on suspicion of reckless conduct and posted a $500 bond, according to the report.
The mom said she was angered and frustrated that her children had to witness her being handcuffed and booked by police.
Patterson has rejected an offer to drop the charges, arguing they are entirely unwarranted.
The Sheriff’s Office has offered to drop charges if Patterson signs a form that outlines a safety plan for her kids, she and her lawyer say, according to NBC.
“This is not right. I did nothing wrong,” she said. “I’m going to fight for that.”