A California judge dismissed all charges against radiologist Dharmesh Patel after he completed a two-year mental health program. Patel drove his Tesla off a 250-foot cliff with his family inside in 2023.
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A California judge dismissed all charges against radiologist Dharmesh Patel, who prosecutors had charged with attempted murder after he drove his Tesla off a 250-foot cliff along the Pacific Coast Highway in 2023. The dismissal followed Patel's completion of a two-year mental health diversion program.
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe confirmed the dismissal Monday. "The judge was required by the law to dismiss the charges," he told the Associated Press.
Patel, 45, drove his family off the cliff at a stretch known as "Devil's Slide" on Jan. 2, 2023. His wife and two young children were injured. All four survived what one official called an "absolute miracle."
In 2024, a different judge ruled Patel would receive mental health treatment instead of standing trial. His defense attorneys argued he was experiencing episodic major depression with hallucinations at the time of the crash. The ruling relied on a California law that took effect in 2023, allowing mental health diversion for certain offenses.
"If the person who's given mental health diversion follows the treatment plan, there's nothing that can be done and at the end of the two years, he gets it wiped out of his record," Wagstaffe said.
San Mateo prosecutors had unsuccessfully opposed diversion for Patel. Wagstaffe and other California district attorneys argue attempted murder should be excluded from eligibility for mental health diversion. They are working with lawmakers to amend the law. "We'll try again in the future," Wagstaffe said. "We're not giving up."
Patel, of Pasadena, was on a family road trip in the Bay Area at the time of the crash. He told a psychiatrist after his arrest that he was depressed and had delusions that his children, ages 4 and 7, would be trafficked by kidnappers, Wagstaffe said.
Patel was held without bail until his release in 2024 to complete a mental health outpatient treatment program. He moved in with his parents in San Mateo County and was monitored through a GPS bracelet. He surrendered his driver's license and passport and checked with the court weekly.
Patel's wife testified she had forgiven her husband and did not want him prosecuted. She said her children missed their father and wanted him home. After the charges were dismissed Monday, Patel walked to the courtroom gallery where his wife was waiting, and the two left together, the Mercury News reported.
The Medical Board of California barred Patel from practicing medicine while he faced charges. The board said Tuesday that Patel surrendered his California medical license in December.
Patel's attorney, Joshua Bentley, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
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