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A Portland firefighter is in custody and faces felony charges related to child sex abuse stemming from a case last summer.
WW first reported in August 2025 that Andrew Ligatich, a longtime Portland firefighter, was under investigation related to child abuse and child porn. A Multnomah County grand jury on April 16 returned a secret indictment charging Ligatich with three counts of encouraging child sex abuse in the first degree and two counts of using a child in display of sexually explicit content. Both are felonies.
The grand jury wrote in its indictment that Ligatich on March 25, 2025 and June 24, 2025, Ligatich “did unlawfully and intentionally attempt to record in a visual recording, a child participating and engaging in sexually explicit conduct.”
The existence of such an investigation was initially divulged in a July 16, 2025, court filing by Ligatich’s ex-wife, who requested greater restrictions on his child custody. For the next six months, Ligatich remained on paid leave with Portland Fire & Rescue while the investigation continued.
Then, on April 20, according to a statement by the Portland Police Bureau, Ligatich turned himself in to the Multnomah County Detention Center.
The Police Bureau wrote that an investigation by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children found uploaded and distributed child sex abuse material last year, and that the bureau “identified multiple related accounts and traced associated IP activity to a Portland fire station, where the material was uploaded.” Officers identified the suspect as Ligatich.
The fire bureau on Monday morning said that Ligatich remained on paid leave even after he turned himself in. “This presently is a dynamic situation, and PF&R and the city of Portland are monitoring it closely,” said bureau spokesman Rick Graves. “Depending on what happens, PF&R and the city will perform its own investigation and determine whether unpaid leave is necessary.”
But by 4:15 p.m. on Monday, Graves said that the Bureau of Human Resources, based on the indictment returned by the grand jury, had placed Ligatich on unpaid leave retroactive to April 17.
The firefighters union has historically fiercely defended the rights of members accused of disturbing conduct. Union president Isaac McLennan provided the same statement to WW that he provided after the initial allegations last summer, calling the allegations “deeply troubling” and saying that the union will work with the bureau and city to “ensure that all applicable processes are following and that the member’s rights are protected.” McLennan declined to say whether the union supports the city’s decision to place Ligatich on unpaid leave.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office declined to provide the probable cause affidavit that led to the charges.
