ATLANTA — An ex-Atlanta Police Department officer has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman who had called 911 for a burglary in March 2021.
The Fulton County DA's Office announced the guilty verdict Wednesday against former officer Howard Portis. He was convicted on one count of aggravated sodomy and one count of violation of oath.
According to state records, Portis resigned in 2021 while under investigation. Portis also now has a second indictment in state court over a "pattern of deactivating his body camera before making sexual advances," the DA said in a release.
The release said that Portis responded to the 911 call from a woman on Glenn Street on March 25, 2021.
"Atlanta Police Department Officer Howard Portis arrived at the scene, and once inside her home, deactivated his body camera and physically forced her to perform sexual acts on him," a release stated.
A second officer was dispatched to the scene, and when that officer arrived the victim "remained silent about the assault due to her heightened fear and distrust of law enforcement."
The DA's Office said after the second officer left, Portis offered her $250 for sex. She "fled to her pastor’s residence down the street" and once she got there, "frantically knocked on the door, in tears and showing signs of distress, including heaving and vomiting, before disclosing to him that she had been 'violated.'"
The pastor helped arrange for an ambulance to the hospital, where she stayed overnight.
The records also show his law enforcement certification is currently suspended, meaning he cannot seek sworn officer employment in Georgia. A sentencing hearing is set for Nov. 20.
“This office has indicted 31 law enforcement officers, including police, sheriff’s deputies and jailers, and federal agents,” District Attorney Fani T. Willis said in a statement. “Rest assured that in this jurisdiction, police officers who engage in criminal activity and violate their oath to serve the public will face the full force of accountability.”
The prosecuting attorney in the case, Deputy DA Sonya Allen, added in a statement that "law enforcement officers who engage in criminal actions that breach public trust must be prosecuted."