Community Outraged by Mishandled Investigation
In a dramatic reversal, the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office has dropped all charges against Mahendra Patel, the 62-year-old man wrongly accused of attempting to kidnap a toddler at a North Cobb Walmart this past March. The announcement came just two weeks before Patel’s trial, originally scheduled for August 18. On Wednesday, Cobb Superior Court Judge Greg Poole signed a nolle prosequi, officially ending the prosecution. The court hearing lasted only minutes, yet it closed the book on a nearly five-month ordeal that has left Patel and the broader community shaken.
Patel was arrested March 21, three days after Cobb resident Caroline Miller falsely accused him of trying to snatch her child from her lap inside Walmart. Despite the immediate availability of surveillance footage that contradicted the accusation, Patel was denied bond and spent 45 days in jail, facing three felony charges: criminal attempt to commit kidnapping, simple assault, and simple battery…