Folks, I’m sipping my coffee and reading about this wild story involving a radiologist named Dharmesh Patel, who was accused of trying to kill his family by driving his car off a cliff in Northern California. I mean, what’s the deal with that? The charges against him have been dismissed by a judge after he completed a mental health program. I guess that’s a thing now – you try to kill your family, but hey, you’re just having a bad mental health day, so all is forgiven.
The incident happened on January 2, 2023, when Patel drove his Tesla off a 250-foot cliff along the Pacific Coast Highway in San Mateo County. His wife and two young children were injured, but somehow they all survived. I’m no expert, but that sounds like an absolute miracle to me. Prosecutors charged Patel with attempted murder, but his defense team argued that he was going through some kind of episode of major depression with hallucinations. Okay, sure, that’s a thing too.
A San Mateo County judge ruled that Patel would receive mental health treatment instead of standing trial. He completed a two-year mental health diversion program with a Stanford psychiatrist and a family therapist, and now the charges have been dismissed. San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said that the judge was required by law to dismiss the charges. I guess that’s just how the law works sometimes – you follow the rules, and sometimes that means letting people off the hook for trying to kill their families.
Wagstaffe and other California district attorneys are not happy about this and are working to amend the law to exclude attempted murder from eligibility for mental health diversion. They’re not giving up, and I don’t blame them. I mean, attempted murder is a pretty serious crime, and it seems weird that you can just get out of it by saying you were having a bad mental health day.
Patel’s attorney, Joshua Bentley, didn’t return a message seeking comment. Patel himself is a 45-year-old radiologist from Pasadena who was on a family road trip in the Bay Area when the incident happened. He told a psychiatrist that he was depressed and had delusions that his children would be trafficked by kidnappers. I don’t know, folks, this whole story just sounds crazy to me.
Patel was in jail without bail until he was released in 2024 to complete a mental health outpatient treatment program. He had to surrender his driver’s license and passport and was monitored through a GPS bracelet. He was allowed to spend time with his family and take them out on drives, and his wife even testified that she had forgiven him and didn’t want him to be prosecuted. I guess that’s just how some people are – very forgiving.
In the end, the charges against Patel were dismissed, and he walked out of the courtroom with his wife. The Medical Board of California barred him from practicing medicine while he faced attempted murder charges, and he surrendered his California medical license in December. Well, that’s a wrap, folks – a wild story with a weird ending. I’m just going to sit here and shake my head, wondering what’s going on in the world these days. 🤯
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
