Portland firefighter accused of luring Deschutes County child, ‘unrelated’ to previous child exploitation arrest
This article was written by Jamie Parfitt with KGW News
PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland firefighter was arrested Wednesday after investigators determined he sent sexually explicit messages to a child in Deschutes County, according to the Portland Police Bureau.
Though similar in kind, PPB said the case is "unrelated" to the prior arrest of firefighter Andrew Ligatich, accused last month of distributing child sexual abuse material online.
The investigation began in March 2025, when the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office began investigating reports from a minor who said a man had messaged her and sent inappropriate photographs, PPB said.
Detectives determined that some of the images had been sent from a Portland Fire & Rescue station in Northeast Portland. They were linked to Lt. Vincent Ramon Alvarez, 59.
On Wednesday, PPB Internet Crimes Against Children detectives arrested Alvarez at the fire station. He was interviewed and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of luring a minor and first-degree official misconduct.
In a statement, PF&R said that it was aware of the arrest and would immediately place Alvarez on paid administrative leave per city protocol, and would "closely monitor the situation to determine whether unpaid leave and an investigation is warranted." The agency otherwise said it had no further comment.
Isaac McLennan, president of the Portland Fire Fighters' Association, provided a more extensive statement addressing both the arrest of Alvarez and that of Ligatich:
"As a father and a long time firefighter in our community, I find the alleged conduct described in this case is deeply troubling and has no place in our profession or our union. The protection of children is not a matter of debate, it is a value we hold without exception.
"As with all members facing criminal charges, Local 43 will ensure that Lieutenant Alvarez receives the due process protections afforded to him under the law and our collective bargaining agreement. This is a legal obligation of our union, not an endorsement of the alleged conduct.
"We recognize that this arrest, coming weeks after a separate arrest involving another Local 43 member raises serious questions that our community deserves to have answered. We share those concerns.
"Local 43 is committed to full cooperation with any investigation and will support appropriate accountability measures as the legal and disciplinary processes proceed."
Portland police thanked the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for their help with the case. For their part, DCSO told KGW that they were not actively involved with the investigation, though they were contacted.
Reports of suspected online child exploitation can be made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or the cybertip website.
