'Prolific' Peninsula Sexual Predator May Have More Victims: Cops

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — San Mateo County sheriff's officials are again circulating an image of a man dubbed a "prolific sexual predator" by the agency. Daniel Miranda, 71, on Friday pleaded no contest to multiple counts of lewd and lascivious acts with multiple juveniles "as well as other additional sex acts with minors," according to the sheriff's department and district attorney reports.

Miranda made the no contest plea as part of a deal with the district attorney's office that stipulated a 10-year prison sentence, reports show. He's due back in court on March 27 for imposition of the sentence and remains jailed on a whopping $6.4 million bail.

In the meantime, sheriff's detectives are looking for other potential victims.

"Miranda molested and victimized multiple girls over the past few decades with some of the first accounts of molestation starting in the early 2000’s," sheriff's Det. Rosemerry Blankswadesaid in a news release. "Within the last few weeks, additional victims have come forward accusing Miranda of sexual assault."

According to the DA's office, Miranda committed the sexual crimes while the victims were at his home in Pescadero. Two of the girls were friends with his daughter. Another was a former resident on the man's property who said she had been molested in 2002 and 2003.

He first came to the attention of the sheriff's office in 2014, when San Mateo County Children and Family Services officials alerted investigators to a young friend of Miranda's daughter who said she had been molested during sleepovers at his home.

But the sheriff's office couldn't find enough evidence to charge him and the case languished until 2016 when a second victim came forward, police said.

"We believe there are potentially more victims out there," Det. Blankswade said this week. "We encourage anyone who may have had contact with Daniel Miranda, allowed him to be around your child/children, or believe anyone may have been victimized by Miranda, to please contact Detective Sergeant Joe Cang at 650-363-4008 or email him at jcang@smcgov.org."

— Image via San Mateo County Sheriff's Office / Bay City News Service contributed to this report.