LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — After a judge issued another arrest warrant Friday for former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, his adopted son said he was grateful to see the court hold him accountable.
The warrant stems from an ongoing family court case in which Jonah Bevin is seeking retroactive child support from his adoptive parents, Matt and Glenna Bevin. Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson ruled Friday that Matt Bevin failed to fully comply with court orders to turn over financial records, despite being given multiple opportunities to do so.
Jonah Bevin was 5 years old when he was adopted him from Ethiopia. He is one of 9 children in the Bevin family.
As a politician, Matt Bevin centered his public image and campaign around family values. Jonah Bevin said he and his siblings frequently appeared in campaign advertisements.
"I was kind of a political puppet," Jonah Bevin said. "That's what I felt like. And I realized when I got older I was just being used without knowing. I was a little kid. I was too innocent to know what was going on."
Behind closed doors, Jonah Bevin alleges his home life was far different than what was portrayed to the media. He has accused his parents of years of emotional and physical abuse inside the home.
Jonah Bevin said the relationship with his adoptive parents deteriorated further before he was sent to a series of behavioral programs and boarding schools, including the Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica when he was 17.
"He helped the kids in a third-world country and then sent them back to a third-world country," Jonah Bevin said. "That doesn't make any sense, right?"
He said the program was so abusive it pushed multiple children to suicide.
"I got chased around with knives. I got beat up by the beach," he said.
The program was eventually shut down by the Jamaican government. Jonah Bevin then spent three and a half months in Jamaican child protective services as a result.
Now, he wants justice. He said his adoptive parents abandoned him.
Jonah Bevin is seeking retroactive child support, arguing he was denied a proper education as a child.
Matt Bevin had until noon Friday to provide the documents involved with the case or face 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Earlier Friday, it appeared Bevin had avoided jail after submitting records to the court. However, Johnson later denied a last-minute request from Bevin's attorneys for additional time and signed another arrest warrant.
In her order, Johnson wrote that Bevin "has already been granted more than reasonable time to produce documents." She also found that he failed to provide all of the records requested by the court.
"It is fair to say at this point that Matt Bevin is a fugitive," Jonah's attorneys, John Helmers Jr. and Melina Hettiaratchi, said in a statement. "The Judge's Order reinforces the simple fact that the rule of law applies to everyone here in Kentucky. Power, wealth, or political influence have no bearing and will not provide immunity."
Court records show this is not the first dispute over Matt Bevin's financial records. In March, he was issued a warrant and sentenced to 60 days in jail after a judge found him in contempt for failing to disclose financial information. That order was later paused while appellate courts considered Bevin's request to remove Johnson from the case.
The Kentucky Court of Appeals ultimately allowed Johnson to remain on the case.
"I don't want anyone to have to experience jail," Jonah Bevin said in a statement through his lawyers. "However, I am grateful to Judge Johnson for standing firm on this. She gave him so many chances, and there have to be consequences now. It is really empowering to see someone stand up to him."
In a statement released Friday, Matt Bevin said he and Glenna Bevin have "contributed fully to the financial well being and care" of their children and argued Jonah's claims for retroactive child support are not allowed under Kentucky law.
"We love our son, Jonah, and want him to become the man God created him to be," Matt Bevin said.
Jonah pushed back on that characterization.
"Love is not a word. Love is an action," he said. "You can look at the records. Matt has not shown me actual love."
Matt Bevin is due back in court June 15.
Click here to read the full statements from Jonah and Matt Bevin's attorneys.
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