Mom jailed for letting 10-year-old walk alone to town
reason.com
It was dinnertime on October 30, 2024, when police handcuffed Brittany Patterson in front of three of her four children and drove her to the station in

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/21954268

Mom Jailed for Letting 10-Year-Old Walk Alone to Town

“I was not panicking as I know the roads and know he is mature enough to walk there without incident,” says Brittany Patterson.

  • jordanlund@lemmy.worldEnglish
    58·
    1 month ago

    Seems less to do with cars and more to do with citizen/government stupidity:

    “It’s not quite a mile from his house.”

    Looks like Georgia DOES have a “Reasonable Childhood Independence” law…

    https://letgrow.org/states/

    • grue@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      374·
      1 month ago

      The sheriff disagreed.

      “She kept mentioning how he could have been run over, or kidnapped or ‘anything’ could have happened,” recalls Patterson.

      • jordanlund@lemmy.worldEnglish
        41·
        1 month ago

        ‘anything’ could have happened if he’d stayed home too. ‘Anything’ is a low bar. ;)

        • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
          132·
          1 month ago

          Anything can happen at the church at a higher ate than on the road lol

          but this clowns never worry about that one…

        • Subdivide6857@midwest.socialEnglish
          7·
          1 month ago

          I live in a rural community. What scares me the most is the dumbass hicks flying around in their giant vehicles, both old and young. They’re always driving like their houses are on fire.

          • Jerkface (any/all)@lemmy.caEnglish
            4·
            1 month ago

            When I go running on country roads in spandex and sandals, the hicks in the trucks go by real friggin’ slowly. Like, aggressively slowly.

            • C A B B A G E@feddit.ukEnglish
              4·
              1 month ago

              Maybe they just want to objectify you for a bit, if you’re in Spandex?

              I assume that’s the case when I cycle in rural areas in Spandex.

          • Liz@midwest.socialEnglish
            2·
            1 month ago

            Here’s where the problem is. The sheriff is viewing the potential for the kid to get hit by a person driving a car as the kid’s fault, when of course the fault should lie completely with her person operating heavy machinery.

      • GladiusB@lemmy.worldEnglish
        22·
        1 month ago

        She needs a fucking hobby besides acting like some pedo. 100 percent if this was a man watching a kid it would be taken much differently.

      • Telorand@reddthat.comEnglish
        131·
        1 month ago

        Obligatory reminder: you have the right to silence in the US. Under no circumstances do you have to say anything to them, except for specific things like, “I want a lawyer,” and, “Am I under arrest?”

        • Jake Farm@sopuli.xyzEnglish
          13·
          1 month ago

          You also have to say you are involving the 5th amendment if you are going to remain silent. There are cases where the supreme court ruled that the 5th amendment only applies if you verbally invoke it by name.