The Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners is requiring a dental practice to have chaperones for minor patients due to a former dental assistant allegedly inappropriately touching and photographing undressed pediatric patients during dental x-rays.
Dr. Walter Villaneuva, the owner of Kidiatric Dental & Orthodontics in Chandler and Gilbert, AZ, signed an agreement with the board agreeing that chaperones will monitor minor patients at both offices. The chaperones will come from a third-party company and must be preapproved by the board, according to the board.
The practice will be under the restrictions until the criminal case against Deion Alexander Garcia, Kidiatric's former dental assistant who was charged in May with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and five counts of child molestation, has been adjudicated. Additionally, the board is requiring a chart audit to assess how many potential patients were affected by Garcia.
Garcia, 27, who has pleaded not guilty to charges involving three young girls, is scheduled for trial in April. Garcia has remained in jail since his arrest.
In May 2024, the parents of a 6-year-old girl reported to police that their daughter told them that Garcia allegedly touched her and took photos of her during her dental appointment at Kidiatric.
Garcia reportedly told the girl that the dental staff liked to bring 6-year-olds to a different room to examine their teeth. He allegedly escorted her to a room and instructed the mother to stay with the girl's younger sister. Once Garcia was purportedly alone with the girl in another room, he allegedly told the girl to stand forward and started touching her inappropriately. Also, Garcia is accused of taking photos of the exposed 6-year-old.
During his interview with police, Garcia denied touching the girl and taking photos of her. He alleged that the office was monitored via video surveillance during the time of the purported assault.
A search of Garcia's phone revealed 10 photos of the 6-year-old girl and an unknown 4-year-old child. Garcia reportedly refused to give authorities the password to his phone. Therefore, police continue to work to find more photo evidence and additional victims, according to reports.
It was the second time a child accused Garcia of inappropriate contact. In 2022, while Garcia was working at Kidiatric's practice in Chandler, AZ, a 6-year-old girl reportedly told her parents that the dental assistant touched her inappropriately during her x-ray exam. The parents told police that their daughter purportedly acted differently after Garcia took her x-rays, and she allegedly said she never wanted to go back there again, according to reports.
The girl was interviewed by authorities, but no DNA evidence linked Garcia to these claims and the investigation was closed due to a lack of evidence. In October 2024, one of the victims' families filed a lawsuit against Garcia and Kidiatric, citing negligence.
