Kanchanben Patel, 58, was a worker at a motel in MA.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Mere days after becoming a full naturalized citizen of the US, a worker at a motel in Wrentham, Massachusetts, Kanchanben Patel, 58, was killed after being struck by a truck and dragged by it for over three miles.
The man accused of driving the truck that killed Patel, 22 year-old Moses Acloque, has been arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a collision causing death, motor vehicular homicide by negligent operation, leaving the scene of a personal injury crash, driving with a suspended license, and two counts of leaving the scene of property damage.
Acloque has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his bail has been set at $3,000. Acloque’s attorney has indicated that his client will make bail, requiring the court to give Acloque a GPS tracking bracelet, which he must wear until he’s due back in court on December 19. The son of a Boston police detective, Acloque does not have a prior criminal record.
Patel was killed around 10 PM on Monday night. She was with her husband, Dahyabhai Patel, outside the Arbor Inn Motel, in Wrentham, where she worked. That’s when Acloque, who was allegedly speeding away from the motel due to him not being able to pay his bill, struck a pick-up truck and then the Patels. Dahyabhai was able to extricate himself from the Acloque’s white pick-up truck quickly, but his wife was not.
Investigators say that Acloque dragged Patel’s body under his truck for 3.2 miles, while another driver who witnessed the incident was following him. The driver behind Acloque drove erratically while tailing him, in order to attract the attention of police. His plan worked, and police pulled over both cars.
The state trooper, Sean O’Brien, thought he noticed a deer carcass underneath Acloque’s car, but realized it was a human body once he got a closer look. Acloque, who claimed that he didn’t remember hitting anyone, was arrested, and Patel was pronounced dead at the scene. Her husband suffered only minor physical injuries.
Patel was a housekeeper at the Arbor Inn Motel. She had been waiting for years to become an American citizen, something her friends and co-workers say she was very proud of. According to one who spoke with CBS Boston, her friends even gave Patel a cake the day she became a citizen.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com