Judge won't rescind former Kentucky Gov. Bevin's bench warrant in child support case until he submits documents

Hannah Pinski, Lexington Herald-Leader on Jun 15, 2026

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson won’t rescind former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin’s arrest warrant until he turns over financial documents in his family court case, the judge ruled Monday.

Jesse Mudd, Matt Bevin’s lawyer, filed a motion Monday morning asking lawyers for Bevin’s son, Jonah Bevin, to submit a response outlining what financial documents are still needed to determine what Jonah Bevin should receive in child support. Mudd said he is concerned that Jonah Bevin’s lawyers are taking on “the role of the court” to decide what documents need to be produced.

But Johnson denied the motion, ruling that Bevin already knows what he needs to turn over to the court.

“This is not rocket science. ... Counsel knows what is required to establish child support, so it’s not like the court has to guide you as if you’re still in law school on what is required,” Johnson said.

Jonah Bevin, now 19, filed to intervene in the divorce case between Matt Bevin and Glenna Bevin, seeking financial support after he said his parents abandoned him at an abusive youth facility in Jamaica when he was 16 and are no longer financially supporting him.

Glenna Bevin filed for divorce in May 2023. Jonah Bevin is one of four children the Bevins adopted from Ethiopia. They also have five biological children.

While Glenna Bevin has turned in the requested financial documents, Matt Bevin has not provided key documents, and has instead repeatedly sought extensions. That led to Johnson issuing a warrant for his arrest June 5, as his lawyer requested another extension.

Matt Bevin could face 60 days behind bars at the Louisville Metro jail and a $500 fine if the warrant isn’t rescinded.

Mudd said he wants to know why the documents that have already been turned in aren’t adequate, and he argued the focus of the case seemed to be on his client.

“Unless we’re just here to try to have Matt Bevin put in jail, or to make him look bad, what we need to do is work collaboratively to decide what they still need,” Mudd said. “I would love to hear from (Jonah Bevin’s lawyers about) why they don’t think, based on the thousands of pages we’ve produced, they can’t come up with one, what a child support amount should be, and two, whether we have the ability, my client and Ms. Bevin, have the ability to pay a retroactive child support.”

Matt Bevin did not show up in-person for the hearing.

Jonah Bevin’s lawyer, Melina Hettiaratchi, said while Matt Bevin produced thousands of documents, the documents’ quality, not quantity, is what matters.

“We are missing high-need documents to figure out how to even approach the settlement table” Hettiaratchi said.

One of the documents Hettiaratchi said is still needed is credit card statements, but Mudd said there was “no reasonable argument” to provide those documents.

“We simply cannot determine what the total amount of income is for a child support calculation or what the ability to pay is today without full documentation,” Hettiaratchi said. “Mr. Bevin has outright said he won’t be providing credit card statements. That is also essential to any claim of what was spent for Jonah.”

Johnson denied Mudd’s motion, because she said she believes the statute on what documents are needed to determine child support is clear.

Johnson said Matt Bevin and his lawyers have “done everything but present the documents” since May 2025, and she declined to rescind his arrest warrant.

“If he would do what’s right, like I require every other person that comes in here, then I will happily rescind that bench warrant, but he needs to do what’s right,” Johnson said.

Matt Bevin was previously held in contempt of court in March for repeatedly failing to turn over financial records in the case, a standard part of cases involving child support. He missed the deadline to produce records showing his income, including bank statements and tax returns.

Glenna Bevin recently spoke out though for the first time publicly since court proceedings began, telling FOX56 that Jonah Bevin was sent to a school for troubled youth in Jamaica because the family had concerns about his behavior as a child. She said she believes Jonah Bevin’s intervention in the court case is “about publicly humiliating the former governor,” and prolonging the case.

Jonah Bevin’s lawyers said Glenna Bevin’s claims about Jonah Bevin’s childhood health and behavior is part of “ongoing abuse.” They added that the case had repeatedly been delayed by appeals filed by Matt and Glenna Bevin, and delayed further by Matt Bevin’s failure to turn over financial documents.

A hearing is scheduled for July 28, according to court records.

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