A dental assistant in Maricopa County has been indicted on charges of sexually abusing child patients during x-ray exams, the county attorney's office says. Deion Alexander Garcia, born in September 1996, is accused of the vile acts against three young victims, leaving them, as County Attorney Rachel Mitchell put it, "scarred for life." Garcia is facing a slew of charges, including one count of Molestation of a Child and eleven counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.

After receiving a report from distressed parents, the Chandler Police Department linked a recent complaint to a similar incident from September 2022, involving another 6-year-old. Found in Garcia's phone were images of another victim, age 4, who was under anesthesia at the time of the abuse. The trial for Garcia, who is presumed innocent until proven guilty, is set for September 19.

"Child abuse by a trusted adult is every parent’s worst nightmare," said County Attorney Mitchell, detailing the grave nature of these charges, as reported in a statement. The indictment issued by a Maricopa County Grand Jury classifies the accused crimes as a Class Two Felony and Dangerous Crime Against Children, representing the serious legal consequences that await Garcia should he be found guilty.