Merced pediatrician fails to appear in court; warrant issued

A Merced pediatrician charged with child molestation failed to appear in court Tuesday, and a $3 million warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Dr. Carlos G. Teran Miranda was scheduled to appear at 1:30 p.m. before Judge David W. Moranda in Merced Superior Court but did not arrive. His attorney, Thomas Fleming, told the court he had had no contact with his client Tuesday, the Merced County District Attorney’s Office confirmed.

Fleming declined to comment.

Teran Miranda, 35, has pleaded not guilty to molesting three autistic children and to hiding a video camera in a patient restroom and filming people, including children, using the bathroom. Teran Miranda was a pediatrician at Golden Valley Health Centers on Childs Avenue in Merced.

According to Merced County jail records, Teran Miranda posted a $475,000 bail bond and was released from custody May 26, the same day he was ordered to stand trial following a preliminary hearing.

Michael McKinney, the deputy district attorney prosecuting the case, confirmed Teran Miranda had surrendered his passport following his arrest in February.

“If anyone has information regarding his whereabouts, please contact the Merced Police Department,” McKinney said.

Capt. Tom Trindad said anyone who sees Teran Miranda should “immediately call 911.”

“That will get officers started heading in that direction,” Trindad said.

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

Teran Miranda was first arrested Feb. 3 after a camera hidden in a flower arrangement was discovered on the back of a toilet in the clinic’s pediatric unit.

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

Prosecutors on May 11 added three felony counts of committing lewd acts upon a child to Teran Miranda’s case. Investigators have identified three special needs children – two boys, ages 6 and 8, and a 10-year-old girl – who they say were molested by the pediatrician during medical examinations in the fall of 2014, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

The Medical Board of California also has been investigating the case.

According to California Department of Consumer Affairs online records, Teran Miranda graduated from the Greater University of San Simon in Bolivia in 2004. He had worked at Golden Valley Health Centers since 2013.

This story was originally published June 9, 2015 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Merced pediatrician fails to appear in court; warrant issued."