Charges have been dropped against a beloved father and husband who claimed he was falsely accused of trying to kidnap a child at a Walmart in Georgia.
Mahendra Patel, 57, was locked up for two months after Caroline Miller, 26, told police that he had tried to abduct her two-year-old child before fleeing the Walmart in Acworth in March.
But Patel’s lawyer unearthed surveillance footage that contradicted Miller’s claims, showing Patel did not leave the store in a rush and was never aggressive towards the mother.
Patel said he had been simply trying to help Miller, whose child appeared to be falling from the motorized scooter she was using even though she is not disabled.
Prosecutors dropped the charges against Patel on Wednesday after meeting with Miller and Patel, who they said wanted to ‘put the incident behind them.’
The Cobb County District Attorney’s Office said they are ‘satisfied that the ends of justice have been met’ and ‘pleased to have facilitated a resolution and are encouraged by the willingness of both parties to engage in a constructive dialogue.’
Patel told 11 Alive: ‘I feel relieved… This thing was hanging on my head for a long time and our family went through a lot of hell. We went through this, but today is a day of celebration and I’m thankful that I’m out.’
‘It made me realize there’s justice out there. There are good people,’ Patel added, sharing that he now plans on speaking up for the wrongfully jailed.
Patel’s story sparked massive anger in the community, with nearly 90,000 people signing a petition demanding his freedom and calling out racial bias against the father, who is originally from India.
Despite the video evidence and demands, the father-of-two remained in jail for two months without bond, spending his 57th birthday behind bars, as Miller did various interviews about the alleged attempted kidnapping.
Miller claimed Patel attempted to take her son after he stopped to ask her where the Tylenol was, leading to what she described as a ‘tug of war’ over the child in the aisles.
Patel insisted that he grabbed the boy as he saw him falling off Miller’s motorized shopping cart and attempted to save him. He said he was looking for a specific kind of Tylenol for his ailing 86-year-old mother.
After pointing him toward the Tylenol, the footage showed that Miller spoke with another shopper, laughing and smiling with him moments after she supposedly fought to save her child from a kidnapping.
The other patron also helped Miller’s child as he nearly fell from her mobility scooter.
The footage made it clear that Patel did not flee the scene. Instead, he calmly paid for his medicine before leaving.
Five minutes later, Miller informed a Walmart employee that Patel tried to snatch her son.
Patel was arrested three days later.
When asked why Miller would make up such horrific claims against an innocent man, Patel’s lawyer pointed out to Daily Mail that Miller has previously been involved in litigation against companies.
In 2021 she filed a lawsuit against Lyft saying she had been raped by a driver. The lawsuit is ongoing.