Wylie Dentist Found Not Guilty of Child Indecency Charges

A Wylie pediatric dentist has been acquitted of child indecency charges by a Collin County jury. Allen Pearson, 49, had been indicted on two counts of indecency with a child by contact involving an underage relative. Jurors found him not guilty on both felony counts in a trial last week.Pearson was also battling allegations by his own adult son who made several online posts about the charges against his father and indicated that he believed them. The dentist subsequently filed a civil lawsuit against his son, Ethan Pearson.Allen Pearson's defense attorney, Mito Gonzalez, said Wednesday that the criminal case against his client relied heavily on an allegation from the child in the case, but he said details brought out at trial didn't support that claim. Jurors had some different opinions, Gonzalez said, "but they were all in agreement that the investigation was poor."Pearson is eligible to have the prosecution records against him expunged. "That makes the records go away, but it doesn't make people forget," Gonzalez said. He added that people accused of such crimes who are later cleared, "spend a lifetime trying to live" down those allegations. Pearson's practice is called Wylie Children's Dentistry. In January, the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners temporarily suspended his license to practice, citing the pending criminal charges. But that suspension was lifted a month later after a state administrative law judge found the board did not have probable cause to suspend Pearson's license.Meanwhile, Pearson's civil case against his son is scheduled to be dismissed soon, records show. Pearson had filed the suit alleging libel and slander by his son, now 20, for posting the damaging information online about his father's criminal charges. A temporary injunction issued in January put a halt to the son's posts.   Continue reading...