Deion Garcia: Former Arizona Dental Assistant Sentenced to 40 Years for Abusing Child Patients During X-Ray Exams

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CHANDLER, Ariz. — A former dental assistant who abused multiple young patients during routine X-ray exams received his punishment for on Friday, July 17, 2026, after a judge ordered him to serve 40 years in prison.

Deion Garcia, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted molestation of a child, one count of sexual conduct with a minor, and two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. 



In May 2024, the parents of a 6-year-old girl contacted the Chandler Police Department and made some distressing allegations against Garcia.

They reported that he had touched their daughter inappropriately and taken improper photographs of her while she was undergoing an X-ray at a children’s dental office in Chandler. 

According to AZ Family, the facility where the crime happened is Kidiatric Dental & Orthodontics, which is located near Arizona Avenue and Chandler Heights Road.

As detectives dug deeper, they uncovered an earlier incident which happened In September 2022, where another 6-year-old patient accused Garcia of sexually abusing her during an X-ray exam at the same dental office. 

Investigators later obtained a search warrant for Garcia’s phone, and when they searched it, they found multiple inappropriate images of a 4-year-old who was under anesthesia when the abuse took place.

It is not clear from public records exactly when Garcia stopped working at the Chandler office, but online reports state that he no longer works there.





Dr. Walter Villanueva, the owner of Kidiatric Dental, was indicted in May on a single felony count for failing to report the September 2022 incident involving Garcia. 

According to the county attorney’s office, the mother of that victim met with Villanueva to discuss the abuse, but Villanueva never notified law enforcement, which violated Arizona’s mandatory reporting law. 

That case is being handled separately.

“This defendant was trusted with the care of vulnerable children during routine dental procedures, and he exploited that trust for his own sexual gratification,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.

“I commend the work of the Chandler Police Department and sex crimes prosecutor Anshika Mehrotra in securing justice for these victims. This 40-year sentence reflects the seriousness of his crimes,” she added.

According to PEOPLE, all four charges were classified as dangerous crimes against children under Arizona law, so after his prison term, Garcia will remain under lifetime supervised probation.

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