Man Who Drove Family Off Cliff in Tesla Granted Mental Health Diversion, Stopping Case from Going to Criminal Trial

A California man accused of driving his Tesla off a cliff with his family in the vehicle will reportedly not go to trial.

On Thursday, June 20, a judge granted Dharmesh Patel, who is charged with three counts of attempted murder in 2023, mental diversion. Now, instead of facing a criminal trial, he will be released to receive treatment, according to a statement from the San Mateo County District Attorney obtained by KRON, CNN and CBS News.

The affidavit said that after reviewing “all the evidence,” the judge “concluded that the correct diagnosis of the defendant’s mental illness was major depressive disorder,” which qualified him for diversion.

The district attorney’s office added that it will be several more weeks before Patel is released from jail and allowed to return to his parents’ home in Belmont.

Dharmesh Patel image on mug.

San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office via AP

The wife of the doctor who pushed Tesla off the cliff asks the court to spare him prison: ‘We need him in our lives’

Patel would continue to be monitored by GPS and prevented from leaving his home, except to attend court hearings, within the first two months of his release. He will also be prohibited from driving and using alcohol and drugs after his release, the office said.

The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

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Prosecutors alleged that in January 2023, Patel drove the family car off a 250-foot cliff at Devil’s Slide with his wife Neha Patel and their two children — an 8-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son.

Authorities previously told PEOPLE that Neha was injured, their daughter was hospitalized, and their son was left with “bumps and bruises, but no injuries.”

Deputy District Attorney Dominique Davis previously argued in court about releasing Patel on mental health diversion, saying “the defendant would pose an unreasonable danger to public safety.”

Photo of Dharmesh Patel and his family. A Facebook father who drove his family of four from the Cliff suffered a mental breakdown, doctors say

The prosecution also cited testimony from Dr. Yan Chan and said Patel had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, symptoms of which include hallucinations or delusions and symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression or mania.” They also argued that Patel was able to “mask” his mental illness and could would do it again.

However, both his wife and his legal team argued against jail time for the father-of-two and suggested that Patel undergo mental health treatment instead.

“I don’t want to see Dharmesh prosecuted on any of his charges,” Neha told the judge on May 2 via Zoom, at different locations. “I am asking the court to grant him his mental diversion.”

She also claimed that the treatment “will not only bring him back to himself, but will restore our family.”

Patel is scheduled to appear in court again on July 1.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education