Matt Bevin was arrested Thursday in Paris by the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office while an active bench warrant was outstanding in Jefferson County. Two dispatchers at the Paris-Bourbon County 911 said Bevin was arrested while playing an extra on the set of a Christian film production there.
The warrant was tied to his divorce and child support case in Jefferson Family Court. Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson had found him in contempt of court for not turning over required financial documents.
Angela Johnson and the June warrant
Johnson issued two arrest warrants over the summer. The first came after Bevin failed to appear in person for a May court hearing. Bevin blamed that absence on a “very large boulder” going through his vacation home in Maine, and that warrant was rescinded after he paid a fine.
Johnson then issued another bench warrant in June over the financial disclosures. She sentenced Bevin on June 6 to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. The June warrant stayed in place after he could not pay a fine to get rid of it.
July 28 hearing in Louisville
Bevin did not appear in person at his July 28 hearing in Louisville, even though he had participated in past hearings on Zoom video. Glenna Bevin testified in person at that hearing, and Jonah Bevin also testified in person.
Jonah is seeking child support from his parents. A party tried several times to join the July 28 hearing, but they were dropped from the call after failing to identify themselves.
Bevin in Paris on Thursday
The arrest adds a new step to a case that has already moved through missed appearances, contempt findings, and bench warrants. Bevin, who was elected governor in 2015 and narrowly lost his reelection bid to Andy Beshear in 2019, now faces the immediate effect of an outstanding warrant that brought sheriff’s deputies to him in Paris.
