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A. Georgia mom He is speaking after his nearly 11-year-old son was arrested for careless behavior after he was found walking alone near their home.

In an article published in Business Insider, Brittany Patterson, a 41-year-old real estate broker and mother of four, said she received a call from the sheriff’s office while she was at a doctor’s appointment with her 14-year-old son.

The Fannin County deputy said his other son, Soren, about 11, was found walking alone. Patterson said it was a little less than a mile from their home in the woods, where he was homeschooled.

Patterson wasn’t aware that his son was going for a walk alone, but it didn’t really concern him. He said he knew the trails in the area and believed his son was mature enough to walk on his own.

But the MP disagreed and eventually gave his son a ride home.

“The deputy said it wasn’t safe because it was a dangerous road. He said anything could happen, including getting kidnapped,” Patterson said. Business Insider Jane Ridley.

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Patterson described their home as a 16-acre compound in the woods with a mother-in-law suite for her father, who was “always home.” She said her mother and sisters lived in a separate house three minutes’ walk away, and the children went back and forth frequently.

When she returned home from the doctor’s examination, she was angry at Soren for leaving without telling him where he was going. Patterson said he apologized and the family has moved on.

“My husband Josh and I grew up with great freedom and independence,” Patterson said. “We are independent parents who want the same kind of life for our children.”

That evening, deputies returned to Patterson’s home, this time to arrest him for reckless behavior.

MORE: Bus driver accused of child neglect

Patterson was handcuffed in front of Soren, taken to jail, fingerprinted, and placed in an orange jumpsuit. His family paid $500 bail to save him as soon as possible.

Deputies also contacted the Department of Children and Family Services, which sent a case manager to visit the home and interview the children.

Authorities now say they will drop the charges if Patterson agrees to sign a safety plan for her children that requires her to appoint a “security guard” to keep an eye on them when Patterson is not home. Soren also needs to download a tracking app to his phone. He hired a lawyer and so far hasn’t signed the document.

“Will all parents have to put GPS on their kids?” Patterson’s attorney, David DeLugas, said: NBC News. “Parents can make decisions for their children as long as it’s not unreasonably dangerous.”

A. GoFundMe was established He raised more than $40,000 to help with legal expenses.

“Frankly, no one on the agency has a MOM rating,” one GoFundMe donor commented. “Maybe they should launch a sting operation, call every father in the county and see how many people can reveal where their children are at any given time. See where this goes.”

If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine.

Read the full story Here.