The California radiologist accused of intentionally driving his car off a 330-foot cliff with his family inside will not stand trial.
Dharmesh Patel, 42, was granted a mental health diversion by a court Thursday due to evidence that he has major depressive disorder, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
Patel pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder after allegedly driving off the Pacific Coast Highway and over a cliff at Devil’s Slide in San Mateo County early last year. His wife and two children, ages 4 and 7 at the time, were also in the car. All four survived.
NBC News has reached out to Patel’s wife for comment.
Judge Susan Jakubowski said Patel was eligible for a mental health diversion due to his condition and that a proposed treatment plan would address his needs, the district attorney’s office said in a news release.
“Weighing all factors, the court determined the defendant was suitable and granted the defense request for mental health diversion,” the release said.
The district attorney’s office “intensely” opposed mental health diversion for Patel and asked the court to bring him to trial for the three counts of attempted murder, District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe told NBC News.
“But under California’s diversion law, the court makes the decision,” Wagstaffe said.
Patel will remain in jail for “several weeks” before he’s released to his parents’ house in San Mateo County, which he has been ordered not to leave, per the district attorney’s office. The court has also ordered that Patel reports to court once a week for progress reports, tests twice a week “to show medication compliance,” abstains from alcohol and drugs and surrenders his driver’s license and passport.
Patel will return to court on July 1 where details of his release will be determined, per Wagstaffe.
An attorney for Patel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
