By Deborah Yetter, Kentucky Lantern · May 29, 2026

Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin on Friday was sentenced to jail for contempt of court — again — after he ignored a judge’s order to appear in person at a hearing involving his estranged son, Jonah Bevin, who is seeking support.

Bevin attended the Jefferson Family Court hearing by Zoom, telling Judge Angela Johnson he was in Maine tending to an emergency after a “large boulder” crashed into a home he owns in Maine.

“I have a boulder, a very large boulder through the back of my house and I’m trying to deal with that,” Bevin said.

But it’s unlikely he will serve the 14-day sentence imposed by Johnson. The judge offered him the option of a $250 fine and Bevin’s lawyer, Jesse Mudd, said he would make sure it was promptly paid.

Johnson appeared unimpressed with Bevin’s account of the boulder, reminding him  he had been ordered to appear in person and she expected him to do so.

“I treat you as I would every other litigant that appears in this courtroom,” she said. “I would be damaging trust in the court system if I gave you a pass.”

The decision comes after Bevin in March avoided potential arrest for contempt of court by asking the state Supreme Court to remove Johnson from his divorce case. The court refused and sent the case back to Johnson for further action.

Johnson previously had found him in contempt of court for failing to provide complete financial information she had requested as she considers Jonah’s request for support.  She reminded Bevin that the previous 60-day sentence is still a possibility if he does not meet a June 5 deadline the judge set Friday to fully disclose financial records Jonah’s lawyers are seeking.

“That’s the end of it,” Johnson said. “You will serve the time.”

Yesterday’s ruling is the latest twist in the ongoing divorce case of Matt Bevin and his ex-wife Glenna, in which Jonah—one of four children the couple adopted from Ethiopia—has intervened, seeking support and assistance with education.

Jonah, argues he is entitled to support after the Bevins abandoned him at age 17 at a brutally abusive youth facility in Jamaica closed in 2024 by child welfare authorities. Though the couple’s divorce became final last year, the case is pending over their financial settlement and whether Jonah is entitled to support.

Friday, lawyers argued back and forth over whether Bevin—who turned over a binder full of financial information to Jonah’s lawyers—has complied with the order.

John Helmers Jr., who represents Jonah along with Melina Hettiaratchi, said the information is “woefully inadequate.”

“The amount he has not produced is staggering,” Helmers said, noting that the information doesn’t even include recent tax returns typically provided in family court cases where child support is at issue.

Mudd, Bevin’s lawyer said his client has provided hundred of pages of financial information and can’t provide tax returns because the Bevins haven’t filed federal income taxes since 2021. They have received extensions in recent years and will file the documents, Mudd said.

“The notion that they’re doing something improper is untrue,” he said.

He also said Bevin has paid “thousands of dollars” in medical expenses for Jonah and continues to keep him as beneficiary on the family health insurance plan.

Mudd said the Bevins, who are wealthy and live partially off investment income, aren’t typical wage-earners.

“This isn’t a normal, 40-hour a week, W2 family,” Mudd said.

Helmers said he only recently received a copy of the Bevins’ proposed divorce settlement from Matt Bevin’s lawyer and noted it included an agreement from Bevin to pay for post-secondary education for all of their nine children, including the four adoptees.

Bevin said he and his ex-wife care for their children and plan to provide for them.

“Every single one of them is loved by us,” he said.

Bevin also attempted to redirect the discussion away from his financial records.

“We’re getting off in the weeds,” he said. “I would like us to focus on helping Jonah and what he needs from us.”

Jonah, who is living out of state, attended the hearing by Zoom but did not testify.

The judge cut Bevin off, saying the point of Friday’s hearing was whether Bevin had complied with the court’s order to produce financial records.
“I know you have a lot to say but we really need to focus on why we’re here,” she said.

Johnson gave Jonah’s lawyers till Monday to produce a list of what records they believe they need from Bevin and Bevin’s lawyer until June 5 to report that he has complied.

Otherwise, she said she could still impose further sanctions on Bevin including jail time.

The judge has scheduled a hearing July 28 on whether Jonah is entitled to support.