Former HGTV Host Found Guilty of Molesting Daughter's 10-Year-Old Best Friend
Former HGTV host Christopher Dionne was found guilty of molesting his daughter’s 10-year-old best friend on Wednesday.
Troopers from the Old Lyme Resident State Trooper’s Office launched an investigation in November 2017 after they received a report of sexual assault.
Their investigation led them to believe Dionne was the suspect so they applied for and were granted an arrest warrant.
On Jan. 29, 2018, Dionne turned himself in to troopers and was later charged with fourth degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.
The 37-year-old father appeared in the pilot for “Family Flip,” which aired on HGTV in 2015.
“The individual referenced appeared in a pilot that premiered on our network in 2015,” an HGTV spokesperson told People. “The pilot was not picked up for series.”
Dionne was also set to star in a new house renovation show on A&E called “House Rescue,” but the network suspended the production of his show after his arrest, according to NBC Connecticut.
The victim, Dionne’s then-10-year-old best friend, claimed Dionne touched her inappropriately while she was at the TV personality’s home for a birthday sleepover in November 2017, according to People.
The victim was on the same soccer team as Dionne’s daughter and the two often spent the night at each other’s houses.
The now-12-year-old said that he molested her twice, several hours apart, in the same evening.
He allegedly asked his daughter’s friend, “Are you a big girl or a little girl?” She also said he threatened her and said, “If you tell your mom, I’ll go to jail and (my daughter) won’t have a daddy.”
She also claimed he had asked her to kiss his genitals two months earlier.
The victim and Dionne’s daughter stopped being friends after the November assault.
Dionne denied the girl’s claims and pleaded not guilty, according to WINY-FM, but he was ultimately found guilty by the New London Superior Court.
According to People, he is expected to be released on a $100,000 bond before his sentencing on Dec. 11.
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