Former Kentucky Governor Matthew Bevin Arrested at 59 in Child Support Case

Q: What triggered the mysterious 911 call that led to a former governor's dramatic movie set arrest?

The 911 call was triggered by a tipster who told dispatchers that former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin was on a movie set in Paris, Kentucky, and might still have an active arrest warrant. According to released audio and local reporting, the caller said Bevin was “working on a Hallmark movie set” and provided his location to authorities. Deputies then went to the farm property being used for filming and confirmed he was there as an extra in a Christmas movie, identified as *The Greatest Christmas Gift*. The arrest itself was not caused by anything that happened on set. It stemmed from a Jefferson County Family Court warrant tied to Bevin’s child-support case involving his son, Jonah Bevin. A judge had found Bevin in contempt after he repeatedly failed to turn over court-ordered financial records and missed required appearances. Once deputies arrived, witnesses said an officer showed people a photo of Bevin, was directed inside the filming location, and then took him into custody without incident. Reports said he was cooperative and was later transferred to Louisville Metro Corrections.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 5

Matthew Bevin was arrested Thursday on a movie set after a Jefferson County Family Court judge issued a warrant in a child support dispute involving his son, Jonah Bevin.
Judge Angela J. Johnson had ordered the former governor to turn over income and asset records needed to finalize support payments, but Jonah Bevin’s lawyer said he repeatedly failed to file them.
Bevin, a Republican who served as Kentucky governor from 2015 to 2019, could not immediately be reached through counsel; it was unclear Friday whether he had current legal representation.
Lawyers for Jonah Bevin said the case had become a public conflict because Bevin chose jail over meeting his support obligations.