Guilty plea entered in Butler shotgun incident
A Butler man pleaded guilty Tuesday in Butler County Common Pleas Court to aggravated assault charges accusing him of pointing a shotgun at a woman and firing it after she pushed it away.
Michael J. Miranda, 43, pleaded guilty to four felony aggravated assault charges in a plea agreement that calls for him to serve 11 to 22 months in prison followed by 62 months of probation and pay fines totaling $1,000.
Judge Joseph Kubit said he would review the agreement before sentencing Miranda on June 9.
Miranda remains in custody in Butler County Prison.
The agreed upon sentence includes 11 to 22 months in prison followed by 62 months probation and a $500 fine for one count; and three concurrent terms of 9 to 18 months in prison followed by 18 months probation and a $500 fine for the three other counts. Miranda would be eligible for parole after serving 22 months in prison. He would be prohibited from contacting the woman involved.
Butler police charged Miranda with attempted homicide, reckless endangerment and three counts of aggravated assault following an Oct. 26 incident in Father Marinaro Park. His son, Joseph J. Miranda, 19, was charged with four counts each of aggravated assault and simple assault. His case remains active.
The incident took place following a minor vehicle crash, according to police.
Police were dispatched to Kaufman Drive around 6:25 p.m. after multiple people called 911 and reported an attempted carjacking and shots fired. Someone else called 911 from a Zeigler Avenue residence and said a shotgun was involved in the incident, according to an affidavit.
A contingent of officers arrived at the park, spoke with a woman and three men and recovered a fired 12 gauge buckshot shell from a parking lot near the park. The woman recorded the alleged confrontation with the Mirandas on her cellphone, according to the affidavit.
Other officers went to the Zeigler Avenue residence and found Michael Miranda on the phone with 911 inside a red sport utility vehicle with heavy rear end damage. As he was being arrested, Joseph Miranda walked out of the home and also was taken into custody.
Michael Miranda led officers to a 12-gauge Remington shotgun in a second-floor bedroom behind a bed. The gun was loaded with one buckshot shell, according to the affidavit.
The video recorded by the woman shows the Mirandas walking from their vehicle toward her and the three men. Joseph Miranda is seen carrying a large knife in his left hand. The knife was later recovered on the sidewalk in front of the Zeigler Avenue home, according to the affidavit.
The video shows the Mirandas speaking with the woman and three men, who were not armed. Michael Miranda is seen walking back to his vehicle, removing a shotgun from the back seat and aiming it in the direction of the four alleged victims, according to the affidavit.
In the recording, Michael Miranda got within arms reach of the woman with the gun pointed at her head and chest area with his index finger on the trigger. As she pushed the barrel away, Michael Miranda pulled the trigger firing a shot when the muzzle was just far enough away from her to miss her, according to the affidavit.
He chambered another shell and threatened to kill her before he walked away and placed the gun on the ground near his vehicle. Joseph Miranda then walked to the gun, dropped his knife, picked up the gun and walked toward the three men shouting “I will shoot you” multiple times, according to the affidavit.
The three men ran away and the Mirandas got back in their vehicle with the gun and knife and drove home, police said.
Police said they learned Michael Miranda stole the key to a pickup truck owned by one of the three men and the key was found in Michael Miranda’s vehicle, according to the affidavit.
