MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Martin County Sheriff’s Office has dropped charges against one man, arrested in connection with the prostitution sting.
Detective Mike Dougherty said Sandipkumar Patel, 47 was wrongfully arrested. Now, the sheriff’s office is working to delete Patel’s arrest record and mug shot.
The confusion happened when investigators ran the tags on a blue Porsche that left the spa. Turns out Patel was not the one who was driving the car at that time and was not the one who went to the spa.
The sheriff’s office says this is an isolated case, and it does not believe more people were wrongfully arrested.
Meanwhile, the Indian River County Sheriff’s office is looking into a possible wrongful arrest. At this point, it is not releasing the name of the man.
Patel's attorney David Golden, Esq. issued the following statement on behalf of his client:
Sandipkumar (Sam) Patel embodies ALL the good, that The United States is supposed to represent.
He came from India to this “land of opportunity” and made Martin County his HOME. He became a US Citizen, and lived the American Dream every day with his wife of 20 years, their two remarkable daughters, and close extended family.
This unlawful and reckless arrest has been devastating. In a country that prides itself on constitutional protections and a presumption of innocence, the thought that he was branded, and called a “Monster” by an institution he once held in high esteem is something he is tortured with every day.
He is too emotional to speak presently, but is working with counsel and would like to address the public in the near future. He thanks profusely all those that believed in him, and requests his privacy be respected in the meantime.