Community leaders and political parties across the spectrum in Cobb County are uniting behind Mahendra Patel, a 56-year-old man embroiled in a legal tangle following accusations of an attempted kidnapping at a local Walmart. Patel has been held without bail for over 40 days after Acworth Police charged him with the crime in March.
Surveillance footage from Walmart has muddied the waters, showing Patel's interaction with a child was possibly not nefarious, as initially portrayed by police. As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, the video depicts Patel reaching toward the child but following up by calmly shopping and showing the child's mother Tylenol before leaving. Essence Johnson, Chair of the Cobb County Democratic Party, has publicly demanded the release of Patel and the dismissal of charges. The pressure has grown with a significant online petition reaching 39,000 signatures advocating for Patel's cause. "This could be Mr. Patel, could be me, it could be you, it could be anybody," Johnson told FOX 5 Atlanta.
Meanwhile, the Cobb County District Attorney's Office is holding its ground. DA Sonya Allen's office has stated a commitment to uphold the justice system's integrity. "It is neither the policy nor the objective of the Cobb Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office to expend valuable taxpayer resources prosecuting individuals without a sound legal basis," Allen's statement to FOX 5 Atlanta read.
The case has found bipartisan support. Cobb GOP chairperson Mary Clarice Hathaway branded the charges against Patel as "completely egregious on so many different levels." Similarly, Attorney Manubir "Manny" Arora voiced his concerns regarding the DA's refusal to drop the charges, as conveyed by a column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The situation is raising eyebrows given the personal history between Patel's lawyer, Maddox Kilgore, and Jesse Evans, the chief assistant to the DA who has previously clashed with Kilgore in court. Questions remain regarding the impetus behind the DA's steadfast approach to this case despite the disquiet among community and political leaders. A bond hearing is scheduled for tomorrow. Community members have been encouraged to attend and show their support for his cause.
