A “suicidal” California doctor is accused of driving his Tesla off a cliff with his family after allegedly suffering a “major depressive episode” and a “psychotic” break during a 2023 crash.
California Doctor Experienced
Dharmesh Patel, 43, had hallucinations, heard footsteps, and believed his children had been exploited by prostitution, two doctors testified at a hearing Wednesday in Redwood City.
The Pasadena radiologist’s delusions were provoked by the nation’s fentanyl crisis, and the war in Ukraine, and feared his children could be kidnapped and molested, which appeared to have been connected to Patel’s worries about accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, psychologist Mark Patterson said according to the Orange County Register.
Wednesday’s hearing was a response to an earlier request by Patel to turn his case to mental health.
Dharmesh Patel had hallucinations, heard footsteps, and believed his children had been xploitation of prostitution two California doctors testified at a hearing Wednesday in Redwood City.
If the judge grants the doctor’s request, Patel will be placed on a two-year treatment plan instead of receiving jail time.
If Patel does not commit a crime during the proposed treatment plan, his charges will be dismissed.
If Patel is placed in a mental diversion program, Stanford psychiatrist James Armontrout will oversee the treatment.
The California doctor was considered a good candidate for the program because he poses a low risk of injuring anyone else and has shown progress in his treatment since the accident.
Psychiatrist Mark Patterson testified at the hearing that “I find him to be very motivated and amenable to treatment.”
Patel was charged with three counts of attempted murder for the Jan 2, 2023, crash where he drove the family’s car off a 250-foot cliff at the “Devil’s Slide” on Highway 1 and into the Pacific Ocean. fell down
“It was clear to me that he had a good ability to respond to treatment,” Patterson said.
Patterson’s Patel diagnosis came after a series of 18 tests and she talked to the California doctor and her siblings.
Patel, his wife, Neha, and their children – then a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy – miraculously survived.
However, Patel’s wife Neha told investigators after the accident that her husband had committed suicide and had deliberately driven off the road.
“He’s depressed. He’s a California doctor. He said he was going to run off the cliff. He went on purpose,” Neha told the rescuers.
The Tesla was not in self-driving mode and witnesses claimed that the vehicle did not show any signs of malfunction.
Prosecutors argued against the diversion program, claiming that Patel had been diagnosed with a different disorder, known as schizoaffective disorder, and did not suffer from major depressive disorder.
Paranoia is a chronic mental condition similar to dementia.
The lawyer has also argued the difficulty it would be to monitor Patel if the case leaves the court.
“How do you know if he skips his medication? It’s not like being on probation or parole. It’s purely appointments with a psychiatrist,” Dist. Atai Stephen Wagstaff told the court, according to the LA Times.
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