Whispering Pines Elementary Parent Considered Risk To School, Community.
BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — Whispering Pines Elementary School parent Chirag Patel will remain in the Palm Beach County Jail without bond while the cases against him work their way through the court system. As BocaNewsNow.com was first to report earlier this month, Patel was taken into custody near the elementary school on Lyons south of Clint Moore Road after police said he was observed looking into a private home. He was charged with burglary and voyeurism.
But it’s Patel’s actions prior to his arrest that led more than 100 parents to attend today’s hearing via Zoom and in person. Patel, who has a child in Whispering Pines Elementary, was banned from the school after he allegedly screamed anti-Semitic statements at school staffers and appeared on campus after he was banned. He continued to post anti-Semitic, and threatening, posts to Facebook.
While the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office arrested him on charges unrelated to anything involving the school, prosecutors and parents told the judge that he is a threat to the community and to himself, and must be held. The judge agreed. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office separately filed a mental health hold on Patel. That filing also continues to work its way through the system.
Patel’s next court date is set for early October. The Palm Beach County School District has not issued any statements regarding Patel. While the school district has its own police force, it was the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office that ultimately arrested Patel.
