Ana Miranda, 67, and her husband, Charles “Randy” Ward, 74. were charged for criminal mistreatment of children. The Sheriff’s Office says everyone involved in the case and home is now safe and the children are with responsible adults. This is after detectives with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) Violent Crimes Unit were called to investigate suspected child abuse.
The trauma endured was devastating. The abuse went on for almost a year-and-a-half. The child was being harmed for taking food and drinks from the kitchen. Also, detectives said they learned that a child was being chained up in the house and also strangled, hit, and kicked. Authorities say Miranda and Ward lived with nine children and two young adults. Multiple witnesses reportedly corroborated the abuse allegations, which led to the arrest of Ana Miranda and Randy.
Police got access by securing a search warrant of the home where detectives found evidence. The couple was indicted on multiple criminal mistreatment charges after authorities discovered they had often chained up a child in their home for more than 12 hours at a time.
It didn’t stop with just two children. Detectives determined through follow-up interviews that Miranda had assaulted multiple other children in the home over many years. Both Miranda and Ward knew the victims according to WCSO. A Washington County jury indicted Ward on four counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment.
The charges stacked up for Miranda. She was indicted on eight counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment, as well as strangulation, second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon. The Sheriff’s Office said the eight charges involve crimes against two victims. Not all are still children. One of the victims is now an adult. Court documents suggest between 2017 to 2020, that person was abused with metal pliers.
