Former Gov. Bevin arrested in Bourbon County on outstanding warrant

Kentucky Lantern · Lantern staff, Liam Niemeyer · September 4, 2026

Former Gov. Matt Bevin was arrested in Bourbon County on an outstanding warrant on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (Photo courtesy Louisville Metro Detention Center) Former Gov. Matt Bevin was arrested in Bourbon County Thursday on an outstanding warrant for contempt of court, police said. After his arrest by the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office, he was booked into the Louisville Metro Detention Center, where he was charged with resistance to a court order.

A court hearing was scheduled in Jefferson Family Court on Friday.

Jessica Mohr, the owner of the Paris horse farm Houstondale, told the Kentucky Lantern Friday morning that the sheriff’s office arrived at her property with a photo of Bevin asking if anyone had seen him. Mohr said the company Great American Family was filming the movie “The Greatest Christmas Gift” at her property, with Bevin as an extra. She said filming is set to wrap up on Friday.

“Someone recognized him, took him to the set, and he was there in the dining room on set, and the sheriff arrested him there,” Mohr said.

Louisville Public Media first reported Bevin’s arrest on the Christmas movie set.

In a press release, Bourbon County Sheriff Tony Asbury said that someone had called local dispatchers Thursday evening, telling them Bevin was a part of a movie being filmed in the county. Asbury said Bevin was then taken into custody “without any issues.”

Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson had issued the bench warrant in June when Bevin failed to disclose financial documents or show up to hearings in a dispute over child support for one of his adopted children, Jonah Bevin. Later in June, an email sent to media outlets from an email account for Bevin accused Jonah Bevin of making “FALSE STATEMENTS” to the media and called Johnson an “ACTIVIST JUDGE”.

Matt Bevin skipped one hearing in the case the judge had asked him to attend, claiming he was tending to damage at his home in Maine from a boulder that crashed into it.

Former Gov. Matt Bevin appeared in an orange jumpsuit in Jefferson Family Court on Friday after being arrested on Thursday. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley) Because of Matt Bevin’s frequent absences, the hearing over support for Jonah Bevin has stretched out over several months. In July, Glenna Bevin and Jonah Bevin testified over why the Bevins left Jonah at an abusive school in Jamaica that was eventually shut down by the state.

Jonah is seeking support and help with his education, including a valid high school diploma. His lawyers also are seeking attorneys’ fees, which they said in a court filing exceed $47,000.

Matt Bevin has made infrequent appearances in Kentucky’s political scene since losing his reelection bid to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear in 2019. In 2023, the former governor hinted at running for governor again, only to arrive at the state capitol building before the filing deadline to launch a candidacy. He then gave a rambling monologue to reporters and proceeded to walk out of the building and drive away in a van .

He sparked a wave of controversy by issuing hundreds of pardons as he left office, including to convicted rapists, drug offenders and murderers, which has led to ongoing efforts by some GOP state lawmakers to try to limit a governor’s pardon powers.

During his time in office, the state legislature rebuffed efforts by Bevin to eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars in state tax incentives given to the film industry; Bevin had argued the incentives were too costly.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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