{"id":3070,"date":"2026-07-08T16:38:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T16:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=3070"},"modified":"2026-07-08T16:38:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T16:38:06","slug":"judge-drops-charges-against-california-father-who-drove-his-family-off-a-cliff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=3070","title":{"rendered":"Judge Drops Charges Against California Father Who Drove His Family Off A Cliff"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/p>\n

A San Francisco judge dismissed all charges Monday against a father who had been accused of attempting to kill his family by driving his car off a cliff in 2023.<\/p>\n

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Prosecutors alleged that Dharmesh Patel, a radiologist from Pasadena, California, intentionally drove his Tesla off a 250-foot cliff known as \u201cDevil\u2019s Slide\u201d along the Pacific Coast Highway, according to NBC News. His wife and two children \u2014 aged four and seven at the time of the Jan 2, 2023, crash \u2014 were injured but miraculously survived, according to an official cited by the outlet.<\/p>\n

A San Mateo County judge dropped the three charges of attempted murder after the 45-year-old completed a two-year mental health diversion program with a Stanford University psychiatrist and a family therapist, according to San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Watsgaffe. A San Mateo County Superior Court allowed Patel to enter the diversion program instead of pursuing charges in 2024 after doctors testified that he was experiencing a psychotic break caused by major depressive disorder when he drove off the cliff, The Los Angeles Times reported.<\/p>\n

Diversion programs, established in California in 2018 and expanded in 2023, focus on treatment instead of punishment for certain defendants who struggle with a mental illness that influenced their alleged offenses. The programs exclude crimes like murder, rape, and sex abuse of a child under 14, but do include attempted murder, making Patel eligible.<\/p>\n

Watsgaffe said the judge was legally required to drop charges since Patel had completed all program requirements, according to NBC News. The attorney expressed disappointment over the results and said that he and other California district attorneys are working to amend the law so that individuals guilty of attempted murder are ineligible for the program, The Los Angeles Times reported.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe felt that the crime was way too serious, and allowing diversion for somebody who had, with premeditation and deliberation, planned to kill his two small children and his wife, as well as himself, was not good for public safety,\u201d Wagstaffe told the LA Times.<\/p>\n

Patel was on a family road trip when he drove off the cliff. He was reportedly struggling with hallucinations and hearing footsteps at the time, according to the testimony of two doctors cited by The New York Post. He also allegedly believed that his children had been sex trafficked, the outlet said. His mental health was impacted by reports about Jeffery Epstein\u2019s sex trafficking operations, the nation\u2019s fentanyl crisis and the war in Ukraine, according to the doctors.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Soon after the crash, Patel\u2019s wife, Neha, alleged that her husband \u201cdid it on purpose\u201d and should have a \u201cpsych evaluation,\u201d according to Fox News.<\/p>\n

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Patel remained in prison without bail until he moved in with his parents in San Mateo County to begin the mental health program in 2024 under GPS monitoring. At that time, he gave up his driver\u2019s license and passport and submitted to weekly check-ins with the court. The attorney said Neha and the children moved to the area and the court later permitted Patel to interact with them and take them on drives.<\/p>\n

Neha described the event as \u201ca mental health episode beyond any of our understanding or control\u201d during a May 2024 court hearing, according to The New York Post. She promised the judge that things would change if her husband could return home and described him as a \u201ckind and altruistic\u201d man.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need him in our life,\u201d Neha said in testimony to the court. \u201cWe\u2019re not a family without him.\u201d<\/p>\n

She told the court she would seek help when needed and described how their children had suffered from his long absence. She and Patel embraced after the judge dismissed the charges, the outlet reported. (RELATED: ROOKE: Gavin Newsom Blames Trump For Something Biden Started)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWow, boy, did he get the break of breaks,\u201d Wagstaffe said, according to the LA Times. \u201cI hope he takes advantage of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom tightened regulations on mental health diversion last week by signing Assembly Bill 46 into law, which allows judges to deny diversion requests when they believe the defendant endangers public safety. A previous draft of the bill eliminated attempted murder charges from the program, but that exemption was removed before the bill became law.<\/p>\n

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A San Francisco judge dismissed all charges against a radiologist who allegedly attempted to kill his family by driving their car off a cliff in 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3069,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[166,3109,195,1378,1627],"class_list":["post-3070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-california","tag-depression","tag-gavin-newsom","tag-mental-health","tag-san-francisco"],"yoast_head":"\nJudge Drops Charges Against California Father Who Drove His Family Off A Cliff - Home Transfer Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=3070\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Judge Drops Charges Against California Father Who Drove His Family Off A Cliff - 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