Matt Bevin, who served as governor of Kentucky between 2015 and 2019, was issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday (March 24).
State judge Angela Johnson found Bevin guilty of failing to produce financial records concerning a child support battle for 19-year-old Jonah, who was adopted by him and his ex-wife, Glenna, in 2012.
Jonah, who was five and living in Ethiopia when he joined Bevin’s family, accused his adoptive parents of abandoning him at Atlantis Leadership Academy, a Jamaican youth facility where he allegedly suffered mistreatment and neglect.
Highlights
- A state judge ordered former Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin to be jailed after she found him guilty of contempt of court.
- The case stemmed from a legal battle involving Bevin’s adopted 19-year-old son, who alleged abandonment and lack of support.
- Just hours before his sentencing, Bevin sought to remove the judge from the case, accusing her of using him for media attention.
“She is using me as a political piñata,” Bevin said, dismissing Johnson’s decision.
Matt Bevin argued he was trying to provide the right records and, therefore, needed more time
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Johnson first found Bevin in contempt of court on Friday, March 20, after observing that he had been avoiding producing proof of income for over 10 months.
She set a Tuesday deadline for submission, cautioning that failure to comply could result in up to 180 days behind bars.
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According to Kentucky Lantern, after no submission from Bevin on the said date, the judge entered a written order calling for him to serve 60 days in jail.
She outlined that he could avoid the sentence if he posted a $500 bond and produced the required financial records, which include “bank statements, tax returns, and more.”
Matt Bevin attended the hearing via Zoom despite being ordered to appear in person, telling the court he had traveled out of state for the funeral of his ex-wife’s father and was en route to Kentucky, the outlet further reported.
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He reportedly interrupted the judge several times during the hearing, arguing that he would need more time to produce the requested information, with which she disagreed, pointing out the time that had already passed.
The judge went on to say that “every litigant in the commonwealth has to provide such information,” adding that she “cannot treat” him differently.
Glenna Bevin, notably, was not subject to the contempt order because she had provided her share of financial information.
Jonah’s lawyers believe the judge could have been stricter in imposing a penalty
In a March 2025 interview with the Kentucky Lantern, Jonah said he attempted to flee Atlantis Leadership Academy within three days of being left there, as he witnessed staff brutally beat another youth.
Following being caught, he was subjected to the same treatment, which caused him to bleed from his “nose and mouth.”
“I was getting beaten every day,” he added.
Jonah was rescued by Jamaican child welfare authorities in 2024, alongside seven others.
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Attorney Melina Hettiaratchi, who represents him alongside John H. Helmers Jr., pointed out that contempt of court carries a sanction of up to 180 days in jail, but Bevin only received a 60-day sanction.
“She could have done more,” Hettiaratchi said.
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Helmers added that he and his colleague, who have been representing Jonah for free, will also ask the court to order Bevin to pay some of the costs in the case, which he said now amount to about $30,000.
Helmers noted that they took the case because they knew Jonah needed help.
In an affidavit filed in court last week, Jonah said he is living on his own in Utah without any support from his adoptive parents.
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He added that he does not have the ability to wait on his dad “while he does everything he can to avoid sitting down with a judge.”
According to Kentucky Lantern, Jonah’s attorneys called for Bevin to “play by the same rules as everyone else.”
The judge’s signature on Matt Bevin’s arrest warrant came after his last-minute attempt to get her removed from the case
Bevin, in a motion filed late Monday, claimed Johnson’s rulings against him were motivated by her “desire for earned media,” as she will face “reelection to remain a circuit court judge” in 2030.
“She is using me as a political piñata,” the ex-governor said as he asked Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Hembree Lambert to replace Johnson with another judge.
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Johnson, on Tuesday, said she had checked with the Supreme Court and was informed that the motion filed by Bevin’s lawyer was procedurally defective and would have to be refiled.
“There has been no proper motion filed for this court to decide,” she shared.
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Jonah described his father’s motion to remove the judge as another stalling tactic, stating that instead of following her orders, “he is trying to get rid of her.”
It is not clear when Bevin’s arrest order will be served, as he did not disclose his current location during the court hearing, and his attorney also kept mum.
"No one is above the law, Matt," a netizen remarked
