Whispering Pines Elementary School Parent Was Held For Months. Judge Says Time For Freedom.
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — The West Boca Raton man accused of threatening staffers at Whispering Pines Elementary School, posting Anti-Semitic statements to social media, and then ultimately being arrested for burglary and voyeurism could be free today. A judge just set bond for Chirag Patel after more than three months in lockup.
Patel, initially arrested in late August and held for mental health evaluation, was eventually denied bond during multiple bond hearings. Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeals also denied a request for Patel to be set free. Among those fighting for Patel to remain in jail — the parent of a Whispering Pines Elementary student who rallied other parents to hire an attorney on their behalf. Using funds raised from GoFundMe, parents had the attorney argue that they were “victims” under “Marsy’s Law” — a law largely struck down last year.
It was a questionable claim. Patel was never charged with anything involving his Anti-Semitic posts or threats regarding Whispering Pines Elementary — the school his son attends. Instead, he was arrested based on an anonymous tip that led police to claim they saw him look in the windows of an area home. But as we previously reported, the people who claimed they were victimized by the “looking” never appeared for a deposition ordered by Patel’s public defender.
On Tuesday, a Palm Beach County Judge decided Patel’s never-ending detention needed an off-ramp. He set bond at $100,000 for the burglary charge, $25,000 for the voyeurism offense, and $5,000 for allegedly threatening a PBSO Deputy in the minutes after his arrest. Patel had not posted bond as of 6:45 a.m. Thursday.
If he is released, Patel is not allowed within 500 feet of the residence where he allegedly looked in the window, he is not permitted to possess a firearm, and he is not permitted to interact with his alleged victims or or witnesses. Read our previous Chirag Patel coverage here.
