Prosecutors charged Dharmesh A. Patel, 43, with attempted murder after the Tesla he was driving plunged off a 250-foot cliff along the Pacific Coast Highway in San Mateo County, injuring his wife and two young children.San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Wednesday he was disappointed with the judge’s decision.
Patel, who was on a family road trip from Pasadena to the Bay Area, will have to complete a two-year mental health outpatient treatment program at a Bay Area hospital for the charges to be dropped, Superior Court Judge Susan Jakubowski ruled last week, KRON-TV reported. Patel does not pose a danger to the community because he will be under an intensive psychiatric treatment program, as well as monitored with a GPS bracelet equipped with a siren, Bentley said.
Patel’s wife testified that she does not want her husband prosecuted. She said her children miss their father and they want him to return home, the television station reported.