WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – A 42-year-old registered sex offender from Brevard County was arrested for committing sex crimes in the Winter Haven area against children.
Robert Miranda of Titusville, 42, was arrested on March 6, 2024, his 42nd birthday, for several felonies stemming from his lewd and lascivious actions at the end of February in the Winter Haven area.
Miranda is listed as a Florida-registered sexual offender.
Because the incidents were reported in both the city and in unincorporated parts of Polk County, the Winter Haven Police Department and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
According to reports from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the Winter Haven Police Department, a suspicious man was reportedly approaching kids who were walking to their bus stops in the Winter Haven area in the last week of February 2024 while driving a grey midsized SUV.
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Deputies say on February 23, at 7:20 a.m., a 9-year-old girl reported that as she was making her way to the school bus stop at Avenue H and 15th St. NE, a man in a black surgical mask pulled up and inquired about her dog, telling her he had one in his car.
She ran to an adult and reported him after realizing he was attempting to get her into the car. The youngster observed that the car had no tags when the man drove off.
A 12-year-old boy reported that twenty minutes later, at 7:40 a.m., a male who fit the same description approached him as he was making his way to the school bus stop at the intersection of Avenue J and 4th St SE.
After opening his door, the driver gave the boy a very vulgar look. When the boy pulled out his phone to try to snap a picture, the driver instantly put the car in reverse and ran away. He reported to the police that the man was donning a black surgical mask.
Both children provided identical descriptions of the driver and the car: a slender white or Hispanic man in his 20s or 30s with short brown or black hair, a black medical mask covering his mouth and nose, and a grey mid-sized SUV.
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The following was captured on camera surveillance that day between 7:50 and 8:00 a.m. from nearby businesses:
- A grey Mitsubishi Outlander drove backward into the parking lot of a business on Avenue K SE. The driver backed into a parking space, and after a short amount of time, he got out and walked to the rear of the SUV. He was wearing a black shirt and black pants. This matches the statement given by the 12-year-old child of the suspect fleeing in reverse.
- The Mitsubishi Outlander traveling towards 3rd Street
- The Mitsubishi Outlander passing a school bus on 3rd Street
Winter Haven investigators obtained additional video from 3rd Street which showed the license plate of the SUV. They ran the tag and found it was registered with Christina Miranda of Haines City.
The same suspect approached two women on Avenue A SW in the same vehicle on February 16, 2024, according to information uncovered during the investigation.
He opened the driver’s door and masturbated in front of them. When the victims yelled at the driver, he left. Video surveillance from the area captured the incident. The victims reported he was wearing a black surgical style mask, and that the vehicle did not have a tag.
Detectives responded to Christina Miranda’s home in Haines City, and learned that her adult son Robert has been living in Lake Alfred and driving the Outlander. She told detectives that she purchased it for him to drive, and he is insured; she provided the insurance documents.
Miranda has been a registered sex offender since 2005 due to a conviction in Brevard County for lewd and lascivious battery on a victim between 12-15 years old. He has registered two vehicles with the state per the FDLE requirements – a red Suzuki motorcycle and a red Alfa Romero, and his Titusville address.
PCSO Special Victims Response Team Detectives obtained a warrant for his arrest for the failure to register offenses related to his temporary Polk County address and possession of the Outlander. He was taken into custody in Titusville by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. PCSO Special Victims Unit detectives obtained a search warrant for his residence and the Outlander, and seized the following: his cell phone, several articles of clothing, and three black masks. They then obtained an additional warrant charging him with sex crimes.
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“The real heroes of this investigation are the very brave children who immediately thwarted this pervert’s efforts to corrupt, assault, kidnap or molest them, and who gave law enforcement officers excellent descriptions of the suspect and the vehicle he was in. Secondly, I would like to commend my deputies and detectives for relentlessly pursuing and following up on every lead from here to Brevard County, resulting in the swift apprehension of a registered sex offender who clearly is on a mission to continue to assault and abuse children,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
“The joint investigation conducted between PCSO and Winter Haven clearly shows the outstanding dedication to get this offender off the street and put where he belongs. From the very beginning, our agencies left no stone unturned to come to this successful outcome,” said Winter Haven Deputy Police Chief Vance Monroe.
On March 6, 2024, Miranda was transferred to the Polk County Jail. He is charged with:
- Three counts sex offender failure to register (F3) – for failing to report his temporary residence in Lake Alfred to the PCSO; for failing to report the Lake Alfred residence to the DHSMV; and for failing to report the Mitsubishi Outlander as a vehicle he owns and drives.
- One count attempted kidnapping (F1)* – for attempting to kidnap a child under 13 by attempting to get her into his vehicle on February 23, 2024.
- One count lewd and lascivious exhibition by a person over 18 (F1)* – for masturbating in front of a child under the age of 16 on February 23, 2024.
- One count indecent exposure (F3)* – for exposing himself to two women on February 16, 2024.
Robert Miranda has an extensive criminal history:
· February 1997 – Orange County Sheriff’s Office – Arson (guilty)
· January 2000 – West Melbourne PD – Sex offense against a child (adjudication withheld)
· February 2001 and July 2002 – Brevard County Sheriff’s Office – VOP
· September 2008 – Brevard County Sheriff’s Office – Sex offender failure to register
· May 2009 – Brevard Co – 3 counts VOP
· May 2019 – PCSO – Possession of cocaine; possession of paraphernalia; solicitation of a prostitute
· March 2023 – Haines City PD – Possession of cocaine; possession of paraphernalia; carrying a concealed weapon; possession of a weapon or ammo by convicted felon
· July 2023 – Brevard Co – Possession of paraphernalia (crack pipe); naked female found in vehicle with him
· September 2023 – PCSO – 3 counts VOP
· October 2023 – PCSO – Introduction of contraband into detention facility
· November 2023 – Brevard Co – Possession of crack cocaine and Xanax
· February 2024 – Brevard Co – Unattached tag (deputies responded to a suspicious vehicle call regarding a male wearing a hoodie and shades in the area – he told them he was waiting for his girlfriend)
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