Yonathan Ortiz

Introduction

Yonathan Ortiz, 20, a former employee of the Childswork Learning Center childcare facility in southeast Portland, Oregon, was booked into the Multnomah County jail on September 28, 2026, on seven criminal counts — including first-degree sodomy and first-degree sex abuse — after a child who attended the center told a parent she had been sexually abused by him. Portland police say the center fired Ortiz upon learning of the allegations and reported the matter to state authorities, and detectives believe there may be additional victims, an assessment rare enough in its public directness that police urged every parent in the center’s community to talk with their children.

Background Information

Ortiz worked at Childswork Learning Center, a childcare facility at 10525 Southeast Cherry Blossom Drive in southeast Portland. The investigation began on March 30, 2026, when a child attending the center disclosed to a parent that Ortiz had sexually abused her, and the parent contacted police. Based on the initial investigation, the center terminated Ortiz’s employment and reported the allegations to state authorities — a sequence that put the criminal case on a months-long investigative track between the March disclosure and the September booking, with detectives building the case in the interval.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not convicted. Ortiz faces first-degree sodomy, first-degree sex abuse, using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct, two counts of luring a minor and two counts of endangering a minor. He has not been tried, and no conviction has been entered; the charges rest on the child’s disclosure and the police investigation that followed it.

When Ortiz was booked on September 28, 2026, the Multnomah County jail record carried the full count list: first-degree sodomy, first-degree sex abuse, using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct, two counts of luring a minor, and two counts of endangering a minor. The Portland Police Bureau’s account of the case begins with the March 30 disclosure — a child at the center telling a parent she had been sexually abused by Ortiz — and the parent’s call to police. The bureau has not detailed the evidence developed between March and September in the available coverage.

Childswork Learning Center addressed the case in a statement to FOX 12: “Nothing is more heartbreaking than the thought that any child could have been hurt by someone we trusted. 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.” The statement confirmed both the firing and the referral to state authorities that accompanied it.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Police took the unusual step of saying publicly that detectives believe there may be more victims, and asked any parent who believes their child may have been victimized to talk with their children. The bureau directed anyone with information to email [email protected], attention Child Abuse Team, referencing case number 26-680206. The center’s statement, pairing grief with a defense of its own response, framed the matter as a betrayal of trust by a former employee rather than a failure of the institution.

Current Status

Ortiz is charged with seven counts across five offense categories and has not been tried; no conviction has been entered and no plea information appeared in the coverage. His employment at Childswork Learning Center ended when the allegations surfaced, months before his September 2026 booking. The Portland Police Bureau’s Child Abuse Team continues to investigate, with an explicit public call for additional victims or witnesses, and the case number 26-680206 remains the routing point for tips.

Impact on Their Career/Life

At 20, Ortiz exits the childcare workforce with seven charges — led by first-degree sodomy — and a police declaration that his alleged victims may not be limited to one child. The case’s shape, from a March disclosure to a September arrest, shows the timeline such investigations follow in Oregon, and the center’s public statement is now part of the record families will weigh. For Portland’s childcare community, the case is another entry in the roster of young male childcare workers prosecuted for the sexual abuse of children entrusted to their care.

Sources

• “Former Portland childcare employee charged with child sex abuse” — FOX 12 Oregon (KPTV): source