Chapel Hill man accused of stealing ambulance tells his story

"I woke up and his arms were flailing. I go to call 911… when I came back he's face down by the bed in a pool of blood, not breathing and so, I think he's dead," Sloane Akos recalled of the scary morning her husband, UNC Chapel Hill Professor Patrick Akos, had an epileptic attack.

Doctors later determined Patrick had a seizure the morning of April 11, 2011, despite having never experienced an epileptic episode before the incident.

When Orange County emergency responders arrived at the family's Chapel Hill home, Patrick was walking around the house.

"His body was there but his mind was not. By this time, he is up and dragging himself around the house, bumping into things," Sloane recalled.

During treatment, Patrick ran out of his home and took an Orange County Emergency ambulance. Patrick then drove the ambulance around the neighborhood, hitting several parked vehicles and a Chapel Hill Fire truck before crashing at a dead end. Patrick was charged with felony larceny of a vehicle, reckless driving and six counts of hit and run.

Patrick says he does not remember any part of the incident.

"I went to sleep… and the next thing I knew I was in handcuffs on a sidewalk. So it is really hard to understand," Patrick told NBC-17 in an exclusive interview.

Doctors later determined Akos experienced an unusual onset of epilepsy -- a neurological condition -- at the age of 40. In addition to epilepsy, doctors determined Patrick suffered a Complex Partial Seizure followed by a condition referred to as Postictal Behavior.

The National Epilepsy Foundation describes the Postictal Period as a condition where the body goes on "auto pilot," completely unaware of what is happening. The foundation says the person may have no recollection of what transpired after the spell.

According to the Epilepsy Foundation North Carolina, epilepsy affects an estimated 2.3 million people in the United States and can develop in any person at any age.

"In all the reading I've done, I've learned that [epilepsy] is most common in children and the elderly… Developing epilepsy when you are 40 years old like me is definitely rare," Patrick explained.

The Epilepsy Foundation North Carolina reports that one in 10 people will have a seizure at some point in their life, and that one of the biggest problems for people with epilepsy is the public's lack of understanding about the disorder.

"The most challenging thing was the felony charges ... not having any awareness of what happened, then my mug shot is all over the Internet saying, 'Stolen Ambulance.' That was the most challenging thing for me," Patrick recalled.

For four months, Patrick had felony charges pending against him until earlier this week when the Orange County District Attorney's office dropped all charges against him.

Patrick's attorney, Michael Paduchowski, says he presented a significant amount of medical documentation over several meetings with the Orange County District Attorney's office in order to educate them on Patrick's medical condition.

The county dismissed the charges based on a medical document which showed Patrick was not able to meet the requirements for criminal intent according to state law.

Paduchowski sent the following letter to NBC-17:

"Although Patrick was not legally liable for the damage he caused to the property and the vehicles, he has worked hard to ensure that all the damages have been taken care of. As soon as Patrick was released from the hospital he went door to door to speak with his neighbors and explain the situation. He is a proud member of the Chapel Hill community who did not want to see his neighbors injured in any way. He has paid for the damaged properties out of his own pocket."

"We wanted to take responsibility for what happened and that's what we did," Patrick said. "The community, the University and everyone in the neighborhood has been really supportive and understanding of what happened."

Patrick is an associate professor in the School of Education. He began working for the University in July 2001 and remains employed with the University.

Currently, Patrick is not allowed to drive a car. He is required to go six months without any epileptic incidents.