NRI Mahendra 'Mick' Patel Demands Public Apology After False Kidnapping Charges in Walmart Case

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NRI Mahendra “Mick” Patel, a 57-year-old Kennesaw resident and longtime community volunteer, says his life was turned upside down after a routine trip to Walmart in March 2025. A simple errand to buy Tylenol led to false accusations of attempted kidnapping, nearly destroying his reputation.

Patel is now demanding a public apology on television from those who, he says, falsely branded him a criminal. “They made a mistake, and they need to own up to it,” Patel told NRI Pulse. In an interview at his home in Kennesaw, Patel explained what he endured and said:

From the American Dream to a Nightmare

Patel came to the United States in 1994 after marrying his wife, Alpa, a podiatrist. The couple settled in Atlanta in 2004 and raised two daughters—one now a medical student at Mayo Clinic and the other pursuing an MBA in Chicago. Patel worked as an engineer at GE before moving into real estate and was actively serving his community through Kiwanis International.

But all this peace was shattered on March 21, 2025, because of a small incident—a brief interaction with a woman in a Walmart aisle. Patel recalled that his father had passed away, and his mother, now 86 and suffering from severe osteoarthritis, was still alive. That evening, no one was at home. His wife was in Virginia caring for her own mother, and his daughters were also away. He was with his mother, and after dinner, she realized she was out of Tylenol. Wanting to help, Patel offered to pick it up.

Around 8 p.m., he drove five miles to a nearby Walmart. Patel usually avoided large superstores, but this time he went anyway. While searching for the quick-release gel capsules his daughter had requested, he texted her for guidance. Still unable to find the right medicine, he looked around for help.

That’s when he noticed a woman in a motorized scooter with two small children. She appeared to be struggling. One child was on her lap, another dangled from her arm, and the scooter wobbled as if its battery was running low.

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Patel politely asked if she knew where the Tylenol was. When the scooter bumped into an aisle corner and the child slipped slightly, Patel instinctively reached out to steady the child, then quickly pulled back when he saw the mother had control.  The moment lasted only seconds.

“I thanked her, apologized if I had overstepped, and moved on,” Patel recalled. Later, as he was leaving the store, he waved the Tylenol he had finally found with an employee’s help and thanked her once more. The woman gave him a thumbs-up. He drove home, never imagining this brief encounter would soon lead to his arrest.

The Roadside Arrest

Patel drove to Dalton, about 80 miles north, to pick up renovation materials. On his way back, he took Cobb Parkway/Highway 41, passing through Acworth and into Kennesaw. “I glanced in my rearview and saw three police SUVs,” Patel recalled. “One in the emergency lane, one behind the car behind me, and one in the left lane. I wondered who they were after. I had no idea my life was about to flip upside down.”

Within seconds, the SUVs rushed forward. Officers shouted, “Pull over! Pull over!” A fourth car cut in front, boxing him in. Patel’s truck screeched to a stop as armed officers poured out, yelling commands: “Drop the keys! Hands up! Out of the truck!”

“My heart was pounding out of my chest,” Patel said. “One wrong move and I felt like they could shoot me.”

He climbed down slowly and lay face down on the asphalt as ordered. It was rush hour—5:30 on a Friday. Traffic backed up. Drivers and passengers stared as officers cuffed Patel in the middle of the roadway. “I had no idea what was happening,” he said. “All they told me was, ‘You’re under arrest. We have a warrant.’”

There was no explanation given to him. After an hour sitting handcuffed in a squad car while officers searched his truck, Patel was taken to the Acworth station. The same officer who had been on the scene changed into plain clothes and played “good cop” in an interrogation room.

Patel recalled that he asked him if he was at Walmart. That’s when Patel realized the arrest was connected to his quick trip three days earlier. Patel explained everything. But after listening, the officer simply left the room. When he returned, he told Patel, “You’re going to jail.”

“For what?” Patel asked. The officer didn’t answer.

Life in Jail

At Cobb County Jail, Patel’s nightmare became worse. He was charged with assault, battery, and kidnapping. His blood pressure skyrocketed, and he was rushed to a hospital in shackles.

“When I finally got paperwork, I saw the charges for the first time,” Patel said. “Kidnapping! The claim was that I tried to grab a child from a disabled mother and run away. It was surreal—completely false.”

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In jail, word spread fast. “Within hours, everyone knew: I was a child kidnapper,” Patel said. “In jail, that’s a death sentence.” He received threats, was pressured to pay for “protection,” and lived in constant fear. A vegetarian, he struggled with food and lost 17 pounds. To survive, he leaned on his faith, reading the Bhagavad Gita in his cell.

Patel said there were gangs and they looked out for each other. One inmate even gave him advice: “If you’re ever in trouble, just yell ‘Allahu Akbar’ and we’ll protect you.”

While Patel endured life inside, his family fought tirelessly outside. His wife, daughters, niece, and friends worked around the clock gathering evidence. Defense attorney Ashley Merchant subpoenaed Walmart directly for surveillance footage.

When the footage arrived, it told a different story: Patel’s interaction with the mother, Caroline Miller, was brief, harmless, and far from the attempted kidnapping described by police. Yet prosecutors had already rushed the case to a grand jury, which indicted Patel on attempted kidnapping—a charge that carried a possible 20–25-year sentence.

Public opinion was initially brutal. Online comments raged: “Burn him alive,” “Ship him to India.” Police claimed Patel had fled the Walmart scene and that it took three jurisdictions to capture him. None of it was true.

“If anyone had watched the full video, the truth was there,” Patel said. “But I’m a brown man and she was a white woman—bias played a role.”

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Freedom, but No Closure

Patel spent nearly seven weeks in jail before his May 6 bond hearing. By then, the case had drawn national attention. Outside the courthouse, family and community members wore yellow in solidarity. Inside, Patel finally walked free.

But freedom didn’t erase the scars. “My family and I went through hell,” Patel said. “Our business, our mental health—we almost went into depression. They cannot just drop the charges in five minutes and walk away. They must apologize, publicly.”

For Patel, the fight is bigger than his own name. “Usually, you get charged, indicted, and jailed without access to evidence. Your reputation is destroyed before you can prove your innocence,” he said. “This isn’t just about me—it’s about flaws in the justice system.”

He wants accountability. “Power-hungry officers should understand the consequences. Evidence must be verified. You cannot destroy lives based on false claims.” Patel also had a message for his accuser:

Although strangers now approach Patel with sympathy, even asking for selfies, and store managers have offered apologies, true closure is still out of reach. For him, nothing less than a public apology on television will make things right. [Rh/VP]

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