CT Reality TV Star Sexually Assaulted 10-Year-Old, State Cops Say

OLD LYME, CT — A 36-year-old Old Lyme man, who stars in a home renovation reality TV show, has been arrested by state police accused of allegedly touching a 10-year-old girl's buttocks under her sleepwear and lifting up her blouse, touching her chest and taking pictures of her with a cell phone, according to authorities.

Christopher J. Dionne, of Village Lane, surrendered to state police early Monday and was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. He is being held in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

Dionne and his identical twin brother, Michael, have starred in the show "Family Flip" on HGTV and another show called "House Rescue," where the two rehab homes using reclaimed materials. Their business is called Dionne Home.

According to state police, the incident allegedly occurred during a sleepover between Nov. 25 and Nov. 26 following a birthday party at Dionne's Village Lane home. The victim told state police that she was sleeping on a couch and awoke to find Dionne allegedly assaulting her. He is accused of repeating his actions over the course of a few hours, according to authorities.

Dionne is also accused of repeatedly telling the girl not to tell anyone about the incident, and allegedly uttered other sexually explicit things to her. His own daughter and son were allegedly asleep in the same room at the time.

He denied the allegations during interviews with state police, insisting that while he knows of the night in question, he never did anything sexual with the girl. He said he came home from a bar to find the girl awake, but that he rebuffed her. When she started to cry he said he tried to comfort her.

Dionne was scheduled to appear in New London Superior Court on Monday.

Photo: Christopher J. Dionne. Photo credit: Connecticut State Police