Merced pediatrician charged with molesting children during exams

New child molestation charges have been added to the case against a Merced pediatrician already accused of planting a video camera in a medical clinic’s restroom and filming people, including children, using the toilet.

Carlos C. Teran Miranda, 35, has pleaded not guilty to all charges, according to Merced Superior Court records.

Teran Miranda was first arrested Feb. 3 after Merced police discovered the camera hidden in a flower arrangement on the back of a toilet at the Golden Valley Health Centers on Childs Avenue. He was charged with possession of child pornography and invasion of privacy.

Footage taken from the camera showed Teran Miranda setting the device into the arrangement and also, later in the footage, showed several people, including children, using the restroom, according to a copy of a Merced police report.

Since the arrest, investigators have identified at least three children – two boys, ages 6 and 8, and a 9-year-old girl – who were allegedly physically molested by the pediatrician during medical examinations in November 2014, according to the Merced County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors on May 11 filed three felony counts of committing lewd acts upon a child, according to a copy of the criminal complaint. Teran Miranda posted bail after his initial arrest but was taken back into custody last week after the district attorney filed the new charges.

Teran Miranda remains behind bars at the John Latorraca Correctional Facility in lieu of $475,000 bail.

He agreed not to practice medicine following his arrest in February, pending the outcome of the case. He has surrendered his Bolivian passport, prosecutors have confirmed.

Michael McKinney, the deputy district attorney prosecuting the case, said authorities have not ruled out the possibility of finding additional victims in the case. “Anyone with those concerns or any information, we encourage them to contact the Merced Police Department,” McKinney said Monday.

Defense attorney Thomas Fleming declined to comment on the case Monday.

Teran Miranda, if convicted, faces up to 12 years and eight months in prison and would be forced to register as a sex offender for life, prosecutors confirmed.

He is due back in court May 26 for a preliminary hearing. His attorney has indicated he will ask for his client’s bail to be reduced at that time.

This story was originally published May 18, 2015 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Merced pediatrician charged with molesting children during exams."