Man sentenced to 25 years in Bowling Green sex trafficking case

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A Tennessee man is facing 25 years in prison in a Bowling Green sex trafficking case.

According to the United States Department of Justice, Portier Q. Govan, 37, of Memphis was sentenced to 25 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release after a jury found Govan guilty in December 2024.

Officials say during the trial, evidence was presented that showed Govan and his co-defendant, Brittany R. Howard, 25, of Bowling Green, “recruited and enticed the victim to engage in commercial sex by preying on her young age and financial situation and by making false promises of easy money. ”

The case stems back to August 11, 2022.

On that date, the Bowling Green Police Department says it was notified of a disturbance at the Ramada Inn on Scottsville Road.

Upon arrival, BGPD stated officers spoke with Govan, who told police a false claim that a man had pulled a gun on him the day prior and that the man then confronted him in the parking lot of the hotel.

According to authorities, officers found two women associated with Govan that day. Officers learned one woman met Govan, and the other woman, identified as Howard, at a gas station several days prior and agreed to go to a hotel with them, BGPD stated.

Authorities stated Govan and Howard later took the woman’s phone and keys before forcing her to engage in sexual activities with several men.

The U.S. Department of Justice says to establish control over the victim, Govan pressed a pistol to her head in a vehicle and threatened to kill her, then lowered and shot the gun, which fired a bullet that missed her by inches.

Govan was arrested and charged with human trafficking – commercial sex activity, first-degree wanton endangerment and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.

Howard was arrested and charged with human trafficking – commercial sex activity.

Both were lodged at the Warren County Regional Jail.

“This sentence is the culmination of a tremendous joint effort between the Bowling Green Police Department and the FBI’s Bowling Green Resident Agency,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky Kyle G. Bumgarner. “Thanks to their efforts, Portier Govan will spend a significant portion of his adult life in federal penitentiary for his depraved conduct. While his sentence is lengthy, there is no sentence that sufficiently remedies the trauma he inflicted on his victim—who will continue to have unwavering support from our office”

The FBI Louisville Field Office, Bowling Green Resident Agency investigated the case, with assistance from the Bowling Green Police Department.