A former teacher at a Southeast Portland preschool is facing sodomy and sexual abuse charges after investigators say he abused a 4-year-old student, and police are now warning there could be more victims they haven't yet identified. Yonathan Ortiz, 20, was arrested on September 28 and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges that include first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse, using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct, and two counts each of luring a minor and endangering a minor.
According to oregonlive.com, Ortiz worked at Childswork Learning Center, a nonprofit preschool with two campuses in Southeast Portland, and is accused of sexually abusing a 4-year-old female student there. The outlet reports that the girl's parents told investigators Ortiz showed their daughter pornography and then instructed her to perform oral sex on him at the preschool. The Portland Police Bureau's Child Abuse Team began investigating on March 30, after the child told her parent she had been abused by a teacher at the center's campus on the 10500 block of Southeast Cherry Blossom Drive, the parent then contacting police.
Charges Filed Months After Alleged Abuse
Prosecutors allege the crimes happened on March 30 at Childswork's Cherry Blossom campus, as KATU reports. Ortiz had worked as a part-time and substitute teacher at Childswork from January 2024 until March 31, according to the same report. Childswork fired Ortiz and reported the allegations to state authorities, per KPTV.
Police say additional evidence developed during the Child Abuse Team's investigation, and a second alleged victim was identified after Ortiz's arrest, the station's report notes. Investigators have said they're concerned there could be more victims in the case, and the Portland Tribune reports that police have urged any parents who believe their child may have been victimized to speak with investigators.
Parents Question Seven-Month Gap Before Notification
Parents are pressing for answers about the roughly seven-month gap between Ortiz's termination and when families were notified, per the same account. The report adds that two state agencies investigated Childswork and found the school to be in full compliance with state requirements.
Ortiz, who lives in Portland, is being held at the Multnomah County Jail and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday, October 7. Portland police released a photo of Ortiz and are asking anyone with information about the case to contact the Child Abuse Team at [email protected], referencing case number 26-680206.
