Dhanda: 'Alcoholism has destroyed my once promising life'
The name Sath Paul Dhanda is a familiar one to area residents who read crime blotters in local media.
He's been arrested numerous times, most recently in April for going to his mother's home in Bethany in violation of a court order.
His mother, his attorney and even Judge Robert C. Noonan want to see Dhanda turn his life around, but all acknowledge, whatever future Dhanda has, it is in his own hands.
"Alcoholism has destroyed my once promising life," said the 31-year-old Dhanda during his court appearance today. "Twelve years ago, I had every opportunity to do whatever I wanted. I had the money. I had the family. I had the support. I could have done whatever I wanted with my life."
Before sending Dhanda to prison for one-and-a-quarter to three-and-a-half years for his conviction on criminal contempt in the first degree, Noonan said he's never dealt with a defendant who has the level of Dhanda's addiction to alcohol.
"The type of person you are today, if you went away to prison for two years, the day you got out you would be drunk," Noonan said. "You have that much lack of control."
William Harper, Dhanda's attorney, acknowledged that his client has a drinking problem and said that all of Dhanda's legal problems stem from drinking.
But, Harper noted, throughout all of his ins and outs with the legal system, the system has never adequately dealt with Dhanda's underlying mental health issues.
In 2006, Dhanda, who has a broad scare that wraps around the front of his skull, suffered a serious head injury.
"I question whether what Sath does he does entirely voluntarily," Harper said. "Does he volitionally engage in the behavior that gets him into trouble? I would submit that it's difficult to determine."
Dhanda's mother, during the victim's statement portion of the sentencing hearing, described a series of treatment programs that have been "temporary fixes."
They've sometimes given her hope, but haven't really helped Sath.
She said he needs long-term treatment and he needs to get away from Batavia.
"A GCASA counselor told me to concentrate on my other two sons because there is no hope for Sath," she said.
She described her son as smart, articulate and with a talent for golf and cooking, but when he drinks "he becomes a monster."
She said she and his bothers want to look forward to a day when "people aren't looking for his name in the police blotter."
"Yes, I am a victim, and will continue to have sleepless nights and see him as he is now, but I also have pleasant memories," she said. "I recall his last Mother's Day message that he wrote, 'you have a very tough job. Yes, I mean me.'"
Dhanda said he takes full responsibility for every violation and the most recent criminal contempt charge, even if he doesn't remember what happened.
"Nobody made me go to my mother's house and nobody poured alcohol down my throat," Dhanda said.
"I've hurt loved ones and I love them so much I can't believe I do these things when I drink," he added. "Nobody wants to overcome these problems more than me. I want everybody in the community to know that I'm not the kind of person who just runs around looking for the latest buzz. Things happen and I don't know why sometimes."
Just a year ago, Dhanda said local golf pros told him he still had the talent to turn pro and that he knows his life still has potential, even if he's blown many opportunities and burned many bridges.
"I still have the desire and the drive and determination," Dhanda said. "I know I have inside of me the drive for success, and not just careerwise, but in every aspect of my life. I know I can win back the love of my family and the respect of the community."
