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.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    57
    ·
    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.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      35
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      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.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        41
        ·
        1 month ago

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

        • Subdivide6857@midwest.social
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          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.ca
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            edit-2
            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.uk
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              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.social
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            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.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        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.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        12
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        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.xyz
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          12
          ·
          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.