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Concord Dental Assistant Accused Of Molesting Young Girls Pleads Not Guilty

CONCORD (CBS SF) -- A Concord dental assistant accused of molesting young girls pleaded not guilty Thursday in a Martinez courtroom to 12 different charges, prosecutors said.

Alejandro Saro, 24, of Antioch, made a court appearance Thursday for an arraignment, Deputy District Attorney Aron DeFerrari said. DeFerrari, who is prosecuting the case, said the number of alleged victims is up to five.

Saro was initially arrested on April 2 on suspicion of molesting a sedated 8-year-old girl in a Concord dental office. Four additional victims, all under the age of 14, have been identified as victims since.

Most of the victims were allegedly inappropriately touched during visits to La Clinica Monument dental office at 2000 Sierra Road, where Saro has worked since March 2015, according to police.

He also worked at Patino Orthodontics at 2751 Concord Blvd., where at least one of the victims was allegedly molested, and Concord and Antioch locations of Western Dental before that, police said.

The initial allegation that led to Saro's arrest was a girl reporting that he touched and photographed her vaginal area as she was being sedated with medical gas in an exam room at La Clinica Monument.

Saro, who is still being held at Martinez Detention Facility on $8.1 million bail, was originally charged with eight counts of forcible lewd acts upon a child and a count of possessing child pornography, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office.

He is now facing three additional counts related to recently identified victims.

Concord police Cpl. Christopher Blakely previously indicated that the number of victims could well exceed five, based on a plethora of videos allegedly found in Saro's possession.

More details on the case may be revealed during the preliminary hearing, which prosecutors said has been scheduled for a date in August.

TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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