Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin arrested on film set

Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) was arrested Thursday at a movie set over an outstanding warrant in his divorce and child support case.

Bevin was booked into a Louisville jail that evening after the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office arrested Bevin in Paris, Ky., during the filming of a Christmas movie.

The former governor was playing a “featured extra” in the film and was talking to the film’s lead actor when deputies arrived, property owner Jessica Mohr told Kentucky Public Radio, which first reported the arrest.

“The sheriff showed up and was asking some people if they’d seen his picture, and a young man was like, ‘I think that gentleman’s inside,’” Mohr said. “And yeah, he was arrested.”

Bourbon County Sheriff Tony Asbury confirmed in a press release that he had an active warrant for Bevin’s arrest and that his office had received a tip that the former governor was involved in a film project at the horse farm estate.

“The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office contacted Former Governor Bevin at the location reported and he was taken into custody shortly after and lodged into the Bourbon-Nicholas County Region Detention Center without any issues as Bevin was very cooperative,” Asbury said in a statement.

The warrant was issued after Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson found Bevin in contempt for failing to turn over financial documents in a case involving his ex-wife, Glenna Bevin.

Johnson sentenced him in June to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. He was issued an earlier warrant for failing to appear for a May court hearing, which he claimed he could not make because a boulder crashed into his home in Maine.

Matt Bevin, who served as governor from 2015 to 2019, lost in his reelection bid to current Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D). His running mate at the time, Ralph Alvarado, is currently the Republican candidate in Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District to replace Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.), who is running for Senate.

“No one who thought it was a good idea to run alongside Matt Bevin should represent the families of Kentucky’s Sixth Congressional District,” the Kentucky Democratic Party said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Alvarado said Bevin should be held responsible for failing to follow the court’s orders.

“Court orders are not optional, and everyone should comply with the court’s directive,” spokesperson Andrew Westberry told The Hill. “Failure to do so has consequences.”