Portland child care worker arrested on child sex abuse charges, may be more victims: police

An Oregon child care worker has been arrested on child sex abuse charges. Yonathan Ortiz, 20, of Portland, allegedly sexually abused a young girl at Childwork Learning Center, police said.

Ortiz has since been terminated from his position. Portland Police (PPB) released his booking photo due to detectives believing there may be more victims, according to the bureau.


Yonathan Ortiz. Courtesy: PPB

The defendant was taken into custody on September 28. The allegations against Ortiz were first reported in March of this year. He was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges including first-degree sodomy, first-degree sex abuse, two counts of using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct, two counts of luring a minor, and two counts of endangering a minor, records show.

The victim, a child who attends the school, had disclosed to a parent in March that she was allegedly sexually abused by Ortiz. An investigation was launched, and Portland Police investigators found evidence to arrest him, albeit several months later.

In a press release, PPB urged parents to talk to their children to see if they may have been victimized.

"Nothing is more heartbreaking than the thought that any child could have been hurt by someone we trusted," Childworks Center wrote in a statement to Fox 12. "Upon learning of these allegations, we immediately terminated the employee and notified all appropriate authorities. We continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement, and we are following their guidance, including on when and how we communicate with families."

PPB has asked anyone with information about this case to contact crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov, make the attention to Child Abuse Team and reference case number 26-680206.