Portland, OR, Fire Lieutenant Accused of Luring Minor, Suspended
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A Portland fire lieutenant was arrested Wednesday after police said he initiated an inappropriate chat with and sent sexually explicit content to a Deschutes County child.
Vincent Ramon Alvarez, 59, of Portland, was arrested on suspicion of luring a minor and official misconduct in the first degree, a news release from Portland police said. Police say at least some of the images he’s accused of sending came from a Portland Fire & Rescue station in Northeast Portland.
According to the news release, the case began in March 2025 when the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office began investigating reports from a minor that an adult male had messaged her and sent inappropriate photographs.
On April 15, the Portland Police Bureau’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit reviewed reports of a user initiating an inappropriate chat and sending sexually explicit content to a child in Deschutes County, Oregon dating back to October 2024.
Police arrested Alvarez, who earned $221,525 last year, at his fire station. He was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center late Tuesday.
Portland police ask anyone with information about the case to submit a tip via the department’s Submit a Tip page and reference case 26-801571.
After Alvarez’s arrest, Portland Fire & Rescue issued a statement, saying: “Portland Fire & Rescue is aware of the recent arrest of a member of PF&R. Per City protocol, PF&R will immediately place the member on paid administrative leave and closely monitor the situation to determine whether unpaid leave and an investigation is warranted. PF&R has no further comment as this is an open and active legal investigation.”
It’s the second time in a little more than two weeks that a Portland firefighter has been accused of sex crimes involving children.
Police said the cases were unrelated.
In the earlier case, Portland Fire & Rescue firefighter Andrew Ligatich, 43, was accused of uploading child sexual abuse material to the internet from his account at a fire station.
He turned himself in last month. He pleaded not guilty to three counts of encouraging child sex abuse and two counts of attempting to commit a Class A felony and was released on bail Wednesday.
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