A mother in Georgia says her then-10-year-old son was arrested for reckless behavior after he was found walking alone.

According to a Fannin County Sheriff’s Office report, Brittany Patterson, 41, was arrested by deputies on Oct. 30 after a witness reported a “juvenile in the road” going in and out of a nearby Dollar General store.

Patterson’s son Soren, now 11, was later found by deputies about a mile from the family’s home. According to the report, Patterson left Soren to take another child to a doctor’s appointment and did not report him missing.

Neglect by a parent in the state can be defined as “failure to provide the child with adequate supervision necessary for the child’s well-being,” according to one guideline.

patterson said ABC News’ Andrea Fujii She said in an interview Friday that Soren didn’t tell her where he was going, but he didn’t think she was in danger.

“I didn’t panic or worry because it’s a short walk from our house. He knows how to get home,” Patterson said.

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Body camera footage released by the sheriff’s office showed Patterson asking a deputy, “Why am I under arrest?” he seems to ask.

“For reckless endangerment,” the deputy replied.

“So how recklessly was I endangering my child?” Patterson asked before another lawmaker responded: “We’re not talking about it.”

Deputies then handcuffed the mother.

During the arrest, Patterson also told one of the deputies: “Last I checked, it wasn’t illegal for a child to walk to the store.”

But the MP replied: “When they turn 10.”

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The arrest warrant alleged that Patterson “willingly and knowingly endangered the bodily safety of his infant son.”

In an interview with ABC News, Patterson’s attorney, David Delugas, questioned the accusation against him.

“Our criminal justice system is based on the fact that you did something or were negligent. You were criminally negligent. So what did he do?” said DeLugas.

Authorities said they would drop the charge against Patterson if he signed a safety plan that included using a GPS tracking device on his son’s phone, but Patterson told ABC News he refused to sign the plan.

“I felt like I couldn’t sign this, and to do so would be an admission that there was something unsafe in my home or there was something unsafe in my parenting decisions, and I don’t believe that,” Patterson said.

Patterson, who is currently out on bail, faces up to 1 year in prison on the reckless conduct charge.

Mother was arrested after reports that her son was walking alone originally appeared goodmorningamerica.com