An American court rejects the charges against a doctor of Indian origin
All criminal charges have been dropped against an Indian-origin doctor accused of trying to kill his family by driving his Tesla off a 250-foot cliff in California in 2023, after he successfully completed a two-year court-approved mental health diversion program.According to the Associated Press, a San Mateo County judge dismissed the charges on Monday after 45-year-old Dharmesh Patel completed treatment under the program, which included care from a Stanford University psychiatrist and a family therapist.Patel was charged with three counts of attempted murder after he drove his Tesla off the Devil’s Slide ramp along the Pacific Coast Highway on January 2, 2023.
His wife, Neha Patel, and their two children, ages 4 and 7 at the time, were inside the car. All four survived the accident, which officials described as an “absolute miracle.”San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the court was legally required to dismiss the case after Patel completed the program. “The judge was required by law to dismiss the charges,” Wagstaffe said.He added that under California’s mental health diversion law, defendants who successfully complete court-ordered treatment have the right to have their charges dropped.
“If a person who has been transferred to mental health follows the treatment plan, there is nothing that can be done and at the end of the two years they will be expunged from their record,” Wagstaffe said, according to the Associated Press.Mental health treatment instead of trialIn 2024, a California judge ruled that Patel was eligible for a mental health diversion program after his lawyers said he was suffering from a major depressive episode with hallucinations at the time of the accident.
Under a California law that took effect in 2023, eligible defendants with mental illnesses can undergo treatment instead of standing trial.During a hearing in Redwood City, two psychiatrists testified that Patel was having a psychotic breakdown when he drove the car off the cliff with his family inside.Patel later told a psychiatrist that he had become delusional and believed his children would be kidnapped and trafficked, court records show.Prosecutors opposed the diversion, arguing that attempted murder should not qualify for the program. San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said prosecutors will continue to push for changes to the law. “We will try again in the future. We will not give up,” he said.Family reunification after treatmentAfter his arrest, Patel remained in jail without bail before being released in 2024 to undergo outpatient psychiatric treatment. He lived with his parents in San Mateo County under strict conditions, including GPS monitoring, surrendering his driver’s license and passport, and reporting to court every week.As his treatment progressed, the court gradually allowed him to reunite with his wife and children, who had also moved to the San Francisco Bay Area.During previous court proceedings, Patel’s wife said she had forgiven her husband and did not want to prosecute him. She told the court that their children miss their father and want him back home.After the charges were dropped, Patel went to the courtroom, where his wife was waiting, and the couple left the courtroom together, the Mercury News reported.