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Curtis Govan, 23, was found guilty of all charges today. Prosecutors say
he dragged a woman into an alley in Harrisburg and raped her.

HARRISBURG – The man accused of pulling a 22-year-old woman into an
alley off of Second Street in Harrisburg and raping her has been found
guilty of all charges.

After roughly three hours of deliberations, a Dauphin County jury today convicted Curtis Govan Jr., 23, of Carlisle.

“I’m relieved by the verdict. It was an extremely violent case, and I’m glad the jury was able to get a clear picture of what happened,” said
Dauphin County Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Gettle, who prosecuted
the case. “The jury came to a just verdict.”

The jury was selected Monday, and trial started Tuesday for Govan.

According to testimony, on Oct. 8, a 22-year-old woman was out at the
Bourbon Street and Tom Sawyer’s bars on Second Street with some friends
and her brother, and had one or two drinks that night. After her brother
got kicked out of one of the bars for a fight, she decided to walk a few
blocks home.

As she walked, she said she noticed someone, later identified as Govan, following her. She said he sped up and passed her and disappeared around
the corner. But when she got home and went around the back door, he was
waiting for her.

“He grabbed me and I started screaming,” she testified. “He kept hitting me and dragging me back into the alley.”

She testified that he dragged her into the alley and raped her.

“He kept telling me to shut up. He said he would kill me if I didn’t
shut up,” she testified, keeping her composure on the stand. “I told him
I had a son -- please don’t do this -- trying to get him to stop.”

A passerby, Roger Corigliano, said he saw a purse and shirt on the
street near Second and Union streets, and he heard her screaming for
help. He thought the screams were coming from inside an apartment, not
the back alley, and called 911 for help.

The police soon arrived, Harrisburg Officer Erik Henry testified, and
when they went into the alley, they saw Govan and he appeared to be
having sex with the woman, who was crying and standing against a
propped-up mattress.

Officers testified that Govan resisted as they tried to handcuff him,
and they had to use a Taser twice.

Later, DNA evidence from swabs taken from the woman came back as a match
to Govan, according to testimony.

Defense attorney Ashley Martin argued her client did not do this, and
his statements to police and in recorded prison phone calls were
consistent.

In those statements, Govan said he met the woman at Bourbon Street and
walked home with her. They started kissing outside of her place, and
continued to do so in the alley behind her home when the police showed
up, testimony indicates.

Govan had been charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual
intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, terroristic threats, unlawful restraint, simple assault, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and
public drunkenness.

Sentencing is set for Oct. 15

“It’s very difficult to put your trust in twelve complete strangers to decide something this important," the 22-year-old woman said in a
statement after trial. "It has given me faith in the criminal justice system.”

This story has been updated to add a statement from the 22-year-old
woman.

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/07/harrisburg-rape-case-nets-guilty-verdict-on-all-counts.html

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