Mobile police have identified a man they say is wanted for sexually assaulting and robbing a woman at knifepoint inside a hotel along Interstate 65, and are asking the public for help locating him as the search continues.
Investigators identified the suspect as Kenan Lamar Portis, 23. According to Mobile County Metro Jail records, Portis stands 5-foot-10, weighs about 155 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair. At the time of a previous arrest earlier this year, he listed a home address on St. Stephens Road in Mobile. Police spokeswoman Ashley Rains said Portis is wanted on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy and first-degree robbery in connection with the case.
Detectives said Portis walked into the Residence Inn along the West Interstate 65 Service Road at around 4:40 a.m. on a Sunday morning. A woman staying at the hotel told police that a stranger, whom she identified as Portis, sexually assaulted her before demanding cash and fleeing the property. Police said Portis was armed with a knife throughout the encounter, and that he left the scene before officers arrived.
Anyone with information on Portis’ whereabouts is asked to contact the Mobile Police Department directly or reach out through the CrimeStoppers tip line, which also accepts anonymous tips submitted by text message. Investigators have not said whether they believe Portis remains in the Mobile area.
Portis has had recent run-ins with law enforcement. Jail records show he turned himself in to Mobile County sheriff’s deputies in February on an unrelated matter, at the time wanted as a fugitive from Mississippi and facing a separate first-degree robbery charge in Mobile County. Court records show a jury acquitted him of that earlier robbery charge in March, just months before he became the focus of this new investigation.
Police have not released additional details about the woman involved in the hotel assault, citing the sensitive nature of the case and an interest in protecting her privacy as the investigation moves forward. Detectives say the case remains open and that identifying Portis’ location is the priority as they work to make an arrest.