CHANDLER — An East Valley dental assistant facing criminal allegations of molestation is now the subject of a civil lawsuit as well.
Deion Alexander Garcia, 27, was charged with 12 felony counts involving three young girls earlier this year. The alleged crimes took place between September 2022 and May 2024 at a Chandler dental office. He has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.
This week, the family of one of the alleged victims filed a civil lawsuit against Garcia and his former employer, alleging negligent training, hiring and supervision.
“The impact has been terrible for the family,” said John Kelly, an attorney representing the family.
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The lawsuit claims the family reported the incident two years ago to the dental office, Kidiatric Dental & Orthodontics near Arizona Avenue and Chandler Heights Road, and to the Chandler Police Department.
Chandler Police closed the investigation after determining there wasn’t enough evidence, according to court records.
The lawsuit alleges Garcia continued to be employed at Kidiatric where he “was permitted to and repeatedly allowed to continue his predatory behavior.”
Garcia was arrested earlier this year after Chandler police say a young girl told her parents that he inappropriately touched her and took photos of her during a May 8 exam.
During the police investigation, Garcia was connected to two more children with similar allegations: the 2022 investigation and an incident that allegedly occurred on May 9, 2024, one day after the May 8 allegation.
Court documents say there are three alleged victims; two were six years old and another was four years old.
Garcia is scheduled to go to trial for the criminal charges in January. But during a court hearing on Wednesday, the judge indicated the current trial dates were not realistic. A hearing date in the civil lawsuit has not yet been set because the suit was only recently filed.
Kidiatric Dental & Orthodontics released a statement to ABC15 in response to the civil lawsuit, saying:
“The practice has not been served with the Complaint, and I only just received a copy of the Complaint from ABC news this afternoon. I have not had time to review the allegations made against the practice or to discuss the complaint with my attorney. The practice and I have fully cooperated with the investigation by law enforcement. The individual in question was a former pediatric dental assistant who has not been employed by Kidiatric Orthodontics PLLC. I have been advised by my attorney to make no further comment at this time.”
Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook.
