A former dental assistant was sentenced to 40 years in prison followed by life on supervised probation for sexually abusing many children in his care at a Chandler pediatric dental office.
Deion Garcia was sentenced after pleading guilty to four felony offenses, including one act of attempted child molestation, one crime of sexual conduct with a minor, and two counts of attempted sexual exploitation. All four counts are considered dangerous crimes against children under Arizona law.
The investigation began in May 2024, when Chandler Police received a report of an incident at a children’s dental office near Arizona Avenue and Chandler Heights Road.
The parents of a 6-year-old girl alleged that Garcia touched her improperly and took indecent images of her during an X-ray examination.
Detectives related the first report to a previous occurrence in September 2022 in which a second 6-year-old child was sexually molested during an X-ray test. A subsequent forensic search of Garcia’s phone revealed additional inappropriate images of a third victim, a four-year-old child who was under anesthesia at the time of the abuse.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell commented on the outcome following the sentencing.
“This defendant was trusted with the care of vulnerable children during routine dental procedures, and he exploited that trust for his own sexual gratification,” Mitchell said. “I applaud the Chandler Police Department and sex crimes prosecutor Anshika Mehrotra for ensuring justice for these victims. This 40-year sentence reflects the gravity of his offenses.”
Garcia will begin completing his 40-year jail term before moving on to lifetime supervised probation upon release.
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