Whispering Pines Elementary School Parent To Remain Locked Up Without Bond.
BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — West Boca Raton resident Chirag Patel, officially charged with voyeurism and burglary — but accused of threatening Whispering Pines Elementary School — will remain locked up in the Palm Beach County Jail. A public defender asked Florida’s 4th District Court of Appeals to release Patel. The court said no.
The unanimous decision from the appeals court was short and direct: “ORDERED that the September 18, 2024 petition for writ of habeas corpus is denied.”
Chirag Patel was arrested in late August after weeks of what many described as increasingly bizarre and threatening behavior. He posted a series of anti-Semitic rants on social media. He invoked school shootings while writing about Whispering Pines Elementary, the school his child attends. And he allegedly screamed anti-Semitic slurs at Whispering Pines employees. He was prohibited from stepping foot on school grounds, but at least once was seen on the property after he was banned.
Acting on what police are calling an “anonymous tip” submitted through a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office app, a deputy says he witnessed Patel looking into someone’s home near Whispering Pines and then committing burglary. Prosecutors later told a judge that there is a “nexus” between the crimes that he charged with and the uncharged anti-Semitic statements and threats against the school. Prosecutors asked a judge to keep him locked up — without bond — until an October court date. A judge agreed.
Patel’s next court date is scheduled for later this week but will likely be rescheduled due to Hurricane Milton.
We live right around the corner from Whispering Pines Elementary School and this situation has caused the community such fear and stress. Clearly Mr. Patel is mentally unstable and a definite threat to the community. He should never be permitted to walk free and should be in a mental institution for the rest of his life so that we can feel safe as well as the Whispering Pines School students and administrators.
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