SANTA ANA, Calif.—An Orange County piano instructor was convicted on March 14 of molesting eight girls—with a ninth testifying as a witness in his trial—over 18 years. John Mordecai Scott, 65, was initially accused of molesting 11 girls, but one did not wish to participate in the non-jury bench trial before Orange County Superior Court Judge Steve Bromberg, and charges related to another alleged victim were dismissed before the verdict. Scott, who is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13, faces 111 years to life in prison for his conviction on 26 sex-related counts. The defendant, who was out on bail during the trial, was immediately taken into custody when the verdict was announced. The first crime occurred in 1996 with a girl whose breast was groped during one lesson and her legs spread at other times during a metronome-like exercise to work on timing in the music, Deputy District …