Mesa man found guilty of sexually assaulting two babysitters in 2017

PHOENIX – A jury on Thursday found a Mesa man guilty of sexually assaulting two babysitters, both of legal age, in separate incidents in 2017.

Dion Earl, 47, was convicted of sexual abuse, kidnapping, assault and public sexual indecency in Maricopa County Superior Court and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 11.

He was arrested in October 2017 after two women, an 18-year-old and a 21-year-old, reported that Earl had assaulted them when they were babysitting his young daughters. The incidents at Earl’s home in Mesa occurred a month apart.

Authorities say the women didn’t know each other and came forward with their allegations at different times.

According to the Seattle Times, Earl argued in court that five women and a Lyft driver who testified against him were lying.

Earl still faces a second-degree rape charge in Seattle over a 2009 case that was reopened after his arrest in Arizona, the newspaper reported.

Earl played soccer professionally in Seattle and was owner of the short-lived Seattle Impact indoor soccer team.

In 2014, two members of the Impact’s dance team accused Earl of sexual assault. The criminal case was dropped, but the dancers were part of a successful lawsuit for nearly $1 million.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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