Gresham High School Teacher Arrested on Child Sex-Related Charges
A teacher at Gresham High School in Oregon has been arrested and indicted on child sex-related charges following an undercover online sting operation. Oscar Armando Ramirez, 36, was taken into custody on Friday by the Portland Police Bureau’s Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT), Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT), and K9 Unit.
According to the Portland Police Bureau, the investigation began in December 2023, when the Bothell Police Department in Washington notified them of a Portland man who had been identified during an undercover sting operation. Detective Mike Garcia, who posed as a 13-year-old girl, chatted with Ramirez for four days, during which time he disclosed that he teaches 9th-11th graders at Gresham High School. The online conversations included "lewd sexual conversations about acts that Ramirez wanted to do with her," with Ramirez agreeing to meet with her when her parents were not home, police said.
The Portland Police Bureau’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) team was notified of the situation on December 6, 2023, and immediately alerted the Gresham-Barlow School District. The district subsequently placed Ramirez on administrative leave, according to a statement provided to KGW. The school district confirmed that Ramirez is a social studies teacher who was hired by the district in fall 2021, following fingerprinting and background checks that did not reveal any criminal record.
On June 3, a Multnomah County grand jury returned an indictment that included three counts of luring a minor and second-degree online sexual corruption of a child, both felonies. Ramirez was arrested outside his home in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Southeast Portland and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center.
The Gresham-Barlow School District has assured KGW that they "will follow our human resources protocols related to his employment" and provide counselling to the Gresham High School community. The district also confirmed that the case did not involve any Gresham High students.
Police said the investigation had not revealed any crimes involving students or other children. Detective Nathan Moore is leading the investigation and can be contacted at [email protected], reference case No. 24-805317, for anyone with information on the case.
As reported by KGW, the Gresham-Barlow School District has taken swift action in response to the allegations, placing Ramirez on administrative leave and initiating an internal investigation. The district’s priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of its students, and they will continue to cooperate with law enforcement agencies throughout the investigation.
The arrest of Oscar Armando Ramirez serves as a stark reminder of the importance of vigilance and cooperation between law enforcement agencies and educational institutions in identifying and preventing potential threats to student safety. The Portland Police Bureau and the Gresham-Barlow School District are working together to ensure that justice is served and that the school community receives the necessary support.
Source: KGW
