A California man accused of driving his Tesla car with his family inside off a cliff will reportedly not stand trial.
A judge granted psychiatric diversion on Thursday, June 20, for Dharmesh Patel, who is charged with three counts of attempted murder in 2023. He will be released to undergo treatment instead of facing a criminal trial, according to a statement from the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office obtained by KRON, CNN and CBS News.
According to the statement, after considering “all of the evidence,” the judge “concluded that the appropriate diagnosis of the defendant’s mental illness is major depressive disorder,” which made him eligible for diversion.
The district attorney’s office added that it will likely be several weeks before Patel is released from prison and allowed to return to his family home in Belmont.
San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office (via The Associated Press)
Patel will continue to be subject to GPS monitoring and will be banned from leaving his custody for two months after his release, except to attend court hearings. He will also be banned from driving, drinking alcohol or using drugs after his release, the office said.
The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Prosecutors alleged that in January 2023, Patel, along with his wife, Neha Patel, and their two children, an 8-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son, drove the family’s car off a 250-foot cliff at Devil’s Slide.
Authorities previously told People magazine that Neha was injured, her daughter was hospitalized and her son “suffered some bruising but no visible injuries.”
Assistant District Attorney Dominic Davis previously argued in court against releasing Patel on mental health grounds, arguing that “the defendant poses an unreasonable risk to public safety.”
The prosecution also cited testimony from Dr. Young Chang, who said Patel had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, symptoms of which include hallucinations, delusions and mood disorders such as depression and mania, and argued that Patel could and would “hide” her mental illness.
But his wife and legal team opposed sending the father-of-two to prison, suggesting he receive psychiatric treatment instead.
“I do not want to see Dharmesh charged with any offence,” Neha told the judge over Zoom on May 2, media outlets reported. “I am pleading with the court to grant him mental health diversion.”
She also claimed the treatment would “not only restore him, but it would restore our family too.”
Patel is due to appear in court again on July 1.
