LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A settlement was reached Tuesday over allegations of abandonment and mistreatment from an adopted son of Matt Bevin and his ex-wife, Glenna, resulting in an emergency protective order being extended against the former Kentucky Governor for the next six months.

Unlike a hearing last week, in which Matt Bevin served as his own attorney and questioned his 18-year-old adopted son Jonah Bevin about the allegations and request for a protective order, he arrived Tuesday with lawyer Zach Buckler and said nothing.

Besides the EPO prohibiting him from contacting Jonah, Bevin must turn over any documents he has on the teen's original birthmother and any other family members.

Matt Bevin allegedly tried to send Jonah to Ethiopia recently, and when he was hesitant to go, told him his birthmother was alive, and he should go find her. Before that, Jonah said he was consistently told his mother was dead.

Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson said of the stipulation that Matt Bevin turn the information over: "Sadly that should not be required for this young man to learn about who his family is. ... That should be done regardless."

The judge told Bevin he could not contact Jonah by social media, through a third party or any other family members. He also cannot have a gun while the order is in effect.

As for Glenna Bevin, the EPO was dismissed against her. Jonah testified last week that his concerns were with his father.

However, she will be subject to a civil restraining order, which does not carry penalties as harsh an EPO if violated, and is enforced by the courts instead of police. It will remain in place for an indefinite period. 

"This situation has been extremely difficult and painful for out entire family," Glenna Bevin said in a statement. "I am glad it is over and the case against me is dismissed. I love my children and want what is best for all of them."

If Matt Bevin does not violate the EPO, it will be dismissed in six months and he will be switched to a civil restraining order, according to the agreement announced in Jefferson Family Court.

A violation is a misdemeanor carrying a potential sentence of one year in jail.

Matt Bevin ignored questions from reporters as he left the courtroom.

Jonah Bevin has said he was mentally and physically abused after being adopted when he was five, relegated to sleeping on the floor in a small cottage on the family property and abandoned in an abusive facility in Jamaica.

At one point growing up, he said, police were called when Matt Bevin came to his workplace and banged on the windows looking for his son.

"I don't think they are properly qualified to adopt kids," the 18-year-old said in court last week about the recently divorced Bevins, who adopted Jonah and a group of three siblings from Ethiopia in 2012.

After court on Tuesday, Jonah smiled and told members of the media "today went well. I got what I needed." He said Matt Bevin tried to intimidate him in court and that "it was stressful" he said of being questioned by him.

Jonah said he does not plan to live in Kentucky.

Jonah's testimony last week about growing up in the Bevin household stood in stark contrast to the family values narrative espoused by former Republican governor Matt Bevin during his time in public office. As governor from 2015 to 2019, he promoted adoption and called for improvements in the state's adoption system.

"It looks like to everybody (in) Kentucky, Matt Bevin had everything figured out in his life but he had nothing figured out," Jonah told reporters. "There's an image that he wants people to see, and they don't want an actual image of what's actually going on in their homes. Today, we brought it out. We brought out what he didn't want people to see."

Inside the home, Jonah testified he was sexually assaulted by an extended family member when he was ten, that Matt Bevin physically and mentally intimidated him and threatened to euthanize his dog. He claimed Glenna Bevin slapped him, and he was abandoned after being sent to an abusive facility.

"We don't want you in Kentucky," Jonah claimed his father said, during questioning from the former governor. "Those were your words."

Jonah requested the protective order a short time later.

Matt Bevin, who mostly referred to himself in third person during the questioning, told the judge he would provide text messages that showed the accurate conversations he had with his son about going to Ethiopia. He said he and his son had talked in the past about him traveling back to Ethiopia and that everyone initially believed Jonah's mother was dead.

But while at least 10 witnesses were set to testify Tuesday, the hearing lasted less than eight minutes after the settlement was announced.

After the hearing, Dawn J. Post, a New York lawyer and child advocate who helped represent Jonah, said it had been a "long journey" and she was "so glad Jonah got to speak his truth."

She did not discount further legal action against the Bevins and said there would undoubtedly be litigation against the Atlantis Leadership Academy.

In a recent interview with WDRB News, Jonah said his parents abandoned him when the facility for "troubled teens" was shut down after allegations of abuse.

He said the abuse there was borderline torture, alleging he was waterboarded and severely beaten.

"At times some of us even had suicidal thoughts and stuff. Yeah it was bad," he recalled.

Jonah then spent three-and-a-half months in child protective services in Jamaica. He later ended up in Utah, homeless. Now that Jonah is back in Kentucky, he said he wanted to be protected from his parents.

This story will be updated. 

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