A Southern California radiologist accused of driving his family off the Pacific Coast Highway last year in a murder-suicide attempt is eligible for a mental health diversion program, a San Mateo County Superior Court Judge ruled Thursday.
On Jan. 2, 2023, Dharmesh A. Patel was driving a Tesla southbound on the highway, with his wife and two children, after spending the holidays with family in the Bay Area. Just outside the Tom Lantos Tunnels, he turned off the road and the car went over a cliff, crashing into the rocky shore and surf below.
Although the car fell 250 feet, all four survived the crash, with one child suffering minor injuries. Prosecutors maintained the crash was intentional and charged Patel on multiple counts, including attempted murder and child abuse, according to court records.
Patel, however, could avoid jail time after Judge Susan Jakubowski concluded Thursday that his major depressive disorder qualified him for mental health diversion.
His wife Neha Patel repeatedly told rescuers that Dharmesh Patel intentionally drove his Tesla off the cliff and that her husband was depressed and needed a psychological evaluation, according to an unsealed search warrant affidavit.
In a May hearing, however, she spoke virtually for about 10 minutes and said she wanted all charges dropped.
To qualify for mental health diversion court, the defense had to prove Patel had a mental illness that caused the crime or was a significant factor in it. They must also show that he can be treated over the course of a year and that he is not a present threat to the community.
Patel, 43, has been jailed since the crash and would remain in county jail for several weeks for a “bridging period” before being released, as suggested by the defense doctors.
The court ordered that Patel must live with his parents in Belmont and be on GPS monitoring, and isn’t allowed to leave San Mateo County during his treatment.
Patel is scheduled to appear in court again on July 1.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.