Back in March, a 57-year-old man from Atlanta named Mahendra Patel was accused of kidnapping a 2-year-old boy from his mother. Since then, Patel has been held in Cobb County jail for 45 days, but recently, thanks to handy security footage, the truth has come out. Turns out Patel was helping the 2-year-old boy– not kidnapping him– and he has since been released from jail.
The ruling was approved by Cobb County Superior Court Judge A. Gregory Poole. Thanks to video evidence presented to the court, the judge granted Patel’s release. Prior to the evidence being presented, Patel also had a bond of $10,000.
As for the evidence, it was surveillance footage from a Walmart in Georgia, which, while grainy, shows Patel helping a 2-year-old boy instead of allegedly kidnapping him as the boy’s mother stated. Ashleight Merchant, Patel’s defense lawyer, was the one who gathered the footage, and it has proven to be instrumental to Patel’s release.
“The video shows Patel asking about Tylenol and trying to help stabilise the child, not fgrabbing or fleeing with him,” according to Merchant, transcript courtesy of IB Times.
The Walmart footage directly contradicts the accusation from Caroline Miller, the 2-year-old’s mother. For Patel, however, the release was a bit late since he had to spend his 57th birthday in jail, all because of a harmful accusation.
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According to Caroline Miller, and based on the police reports she helped file back in March, Patel supposedly pulled her toddler away from her. Patel even engaged in a “tug of war” for the 2-year-old, something Miller described as attempted abduction.
Prosecutors also further argued that Patel fled the scene after the incident. The “incident” apparently took place in a Walmart in Acworth, 30 miles away from downtown Atlanta, Georgia.
The Walmart footage, on the other hand, shows Patel calmly speaking with Miller and merely offering to hold the child while his mother retrieved medicine. Patel was also trying to make sure that the boy didn’t fall from the scooter.
While Patel is supposedly enjoying his freedom right now, Miller’s actions have sparked outrage and concern regarding the justice system in the US, particularly in Georgia, and how there seems to be no accountability for what the mother did. Thus, people online have suggested that Miller is the one who should be locked up next for a bogus police report and defamation of character.
“She needs to get locked up for defamation of character,” suggest Michelle Torres
“CRAZY how she’s not being charged.. that man was genuinely trying to help,” points out Tanner Hess-Warren
“Finally. What a nightmare this has been for Mr. Patel and his family,” says Katie Wood.
So far, Patel and his family haven’t stated on what they plan to do against Caroline Miller’s accusation. Even the local community was in support of Patel due to his involvement in clubs and volunteer work all over Atlanta, Georgia. For now, it appears Patel is just happy to be safe again.
“I’m happy to be out and looking forward to a home-cooked meal. It’s been a tough six weeks, but I knew the truth would come out,” explains Patel.
