A 27-year-old man who worked as a dental assistant at offices in Chandler and Gilbert has been indicted after authorities said he sexually abused children under his care.

Deion Alexander Garcia is scheduled to go to trial Sept. 19 after a grand jury indicted him on one count of child molestation and 11 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Earlier this month, the Chandler Police Department received a report from the parents of a 6-year-old, who told them she had been touched inappropriately during her visit to the dentist, the MCAO release stated.

Police then connected the incident to another sexual abuse case involving a different 6-year-old from September 2022.

“Police also found images on the defendant’s phone of another 4-year-old victim who was under anesthesia when the abuse occurred,” the release stated.

The victims, according to an earlier release from Chandler police, were all patients at the Kidiatric Dental & Orthodontics location near Chandler Heights and Arizona Avenue. Garcia also worked at a dental office in Gilbert, police said.

Garcia was taken into custody on May 10. 

“Child abuse by a trusted adult is every parent’s worst nightmare,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said. “The three victims in this case have been scarred for life, and we must now seek justice for them to the fullest extent of the law.”