After being held in a Cobb County jail for 45 days, Mahendra Patel was released on a $10,000 bond. He is facing attempted kidnapping and other charges after a mother said he tried to take her 2-year-old son from her at a Georgia Walmart.
“I’m going to give this man a bond.” “He should be given a bond,” Cobb County Superior Court Judge A. Gregory Poole said Tuesday in court. His lawyer told CNN that Patel was freed later that same day.
Ashleigh Merchant, Patel’s lawyer, made her case for why he should be freed by showing the judge a collection of security footage that she got from Walmart and shared with news sources like CNN. They show what happened at a Walmart on March 18 in Acworth, which is about 30 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta.
Merchant said Patel was just watching out for the boy in case he fell off the scooter his mother was riding with the child on her lap.
The lawyer told the judge that Patel had the backing of many people in another room at the courthouse, such as friends, family, and neighbours.
The video is a little shaky, and Patel’s back blocks some of what’s going on.
Prosecutors said the video shows Patel grabbing the child, which he shouldn’t have done, and then running away after the event.
Merchant said Patel didn’t run away from the scene of the crime and that he has strong ties to the community because he owns property, has a wife and girls, volunteers at local nonprofits, and is a member of groups like the Kiwanis Club.
Chief Assistant District Attorney for Cobb County Jesse Evans said Patel had been convicted of a crime for a money scheme and was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
“That doesn’t bother me.” Poole said, “I don’t think he’s a threat to the community.” “The video shows proof, and I’m not going to say what I think the video really shows about guilt or innocence.” Today it’s not my job. “But the facts show me that he stayed, and based on what I saw in the video, I don’t think he’s a flight risk,” Poole said.
Caroline Miller, 26, told the cops that Patel asked her to help him find Tylenol at Walmart. She said Patel tried to grab her son, who is 2, but she pushed him away.
CNN has tried to get Miller to speak, who has talked about the incident in public before. When CNN called Miller’s family, they said he wouldn’t say anything.
According to court records, Patel was charged on April 3 with illegal attempt to commit kidnapping, simple assault, and simple battery.
Patel, who is 57 years old, spent his birthday in jail, according to his lawyer.