LOUISVILLE — An unusual bit of courtroom drama unfolded Friday when former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin — acting as his own attorney — grilled his adopted son, Jonah, about an emergency protective order the son is seeking to keep in place against Bevin.
Jonah, 18, adopted at age 5 from Ethiopia, alleges he experienced abuse and neglect in the Bevin home, culminating in his abandonment at a brutally abusive youth facility last year in Jamaica while he was 17. Jonah is seeking an extension of the temporary protective order he obtained March 7 against Matt Bevin, saying he fears him and wants no contact with him.
Matt Bevin, seated beside his ex-wife, Glenna, at a table next to Jonah’s, spent about 30 minutes questioning him about a three-page statement Jonah provided in support of his request for an EPO — at one point challenging his claim that Matt Bevin had threatened to euthanize Jonah’s pet dog if the youth failed to follow his directives.
In a series of questions, the one-term Republican governor, seated with a stack of documents before him, demanded to know who paid for the dog, bought dog food and purchased its dog bed.
Jonah Bevin, 18, responds to questions in Family Court on Friday, March 21, 2025. Jonah sought an emergency protective order against his parents, former Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin and his wife Glenna Bevin. (Photo by Michael Clevenger, Courier Journal, via press pool)
“You paid,” Jonah replied, but “I had to pay you back for everything.”
Friday’s hearing was continued until Tuesday by Family Court Judge Angela Johnson after parties said they would need more time to present witnesses. The couple’s divorce became final March 18.
Glenna Bevin, who is not subject to the EPO, appeared alongside her lawyer, Steve Romines, a prominent Louisville defense lawyer
In addition to seeking the protective order, Jonah Bevin has filed a report with Louisville Metro Police, alleging he was abandoned in Jamaica at age 17 by the Bevins, a Class D felony in Kentucky.
She sat quietly, hands folded in her lap, while her lawyer handled questions on her behalf. Romines spent most of his time apparently seeking to distance Glenna Bevin from allegations involving her ex-husband and show that she had attempted to get help for Jonah’s emotional problems and learning disabilities.
Former Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin listens to a complaint against he and First Lady Glenna Bevin in Family Court on Friday, March 21, 2025. Their son, Jonah Bevin, 18, has been granted an emergency protective order against his parents. (Photo by Michael Clevenger, Courier Journal, via press pool)
After the 90-minute hearing ended Friday, Matt Bevin twice ignored a reporter asking if he had any comment on the proceedings, walking by without reply. Glenna Bevin’s lawyers said they would have no comment until the hearing is concluded.
Jonah also left without commenting.
Dawn J. Post, a New York lawyer and child advocate also representing Jonah, said the experience of having to testify about his ordeal — especially under questioning from Matt Bevin, who he has accused of abuse — was “emotionally retraumatizing.”
She called Bevin’s decision to represent himself, and thus directly question his son, “unexpected.”
“That certainly can feel like another form of abuse,” Post said, referring to the questions by his father.
Jonah, sitting beside his lawyer, John Helmers Jr., spoke softly, at times, almost inaudibly during the hearing, at one point prompting Family Court Judge Angela Johnson to ask him to speak louder.
During Matt Bevin’s questioning, Helmers twice asked the judge to direct him from interrupting Jonah while he was attempting to answer, which she did.
Jonah was asked by the judge to verify the statement he provided in support of the EPO was truthful after Johnson read it into the court record.
“Yes ma’am,” he replied.
The statement alleged a threat by Matt Bevin that “I can take your life” and “I can make your life miserable.”
It also included allegations Glenna Bevin slapped and struck him and the Bevins recently tried to “coerce” him into a trip to Ethiopia to meet his biological mother, whom they previously had told him was deceased.
“I now believe they were trying to get me to disappear,” his statement said.
The judge also asked if had any contact with the Bevins during the several months he was held at the Atlantis Leadership Academy — which he said involved brutal beatings and punishment that amounted to torture — before Jamaican child welfare authorities shut it down for suspected abuse and neglect.
“I didn’t have any contact with them,” he said, adding youths were not permitted to make phone calls to families.
“Did they call you?” Johnson asked.
“No ma’am,” he replied.
Jonah also said he had no help from the Bevins after he was removed from the Jamaican facility and eventually returned to the United States, he believes with the help of the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica, which was involved in the case.
Under questioning from Romines, Jonah detailed a troubled life he acknowledged involved being kicked out of several schools, running away, altercations with the Bevins and other problems. He has said he was sent to the first of a series of out of state facilities by the Bevins at age 13.
He also said he was sexually assaulted at age 10 by someone connected to the Bevin family and said Glenna Bevin had obtained counseling for him.
The case will be back in court April 1 with the Bevins planning to present witnesses expected to include some of their adult children. They have four children adopted from Ethiopia, including Jonah and five biological children, all but one is over 18.
Helmers, Jonah’s lawyer, declined to predict the outcome but said this: “We’re just confident the judge is going to do the right thing.”
Attorney John Helmers gives Jonah Bevin a hug after a hearing involving an emergency protective order against Jonah’s parents, former Governor Matt Bevin and First Lady Glenna Bevin. Friday, March 21, 2025. (Photo by Michael Clevenger, Courier Journal, via press pool)
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.
SUMMARY: The weather forecast includes a tornado watch for far northwestern communities like Jackson and Lawrence counties, effective until 11 PM. Scattered storms have started to develop due to high heat and humidity. The Steamboat Race is about to begin near the Ohio River, with dry conditions so far but some storms may pop up nearby. Temperatures are around 84°F with 50% humidity and a light southwest breeze. Evening storms are expected mainly along I-64 and points north. Wednesday night will quiet down, but Thursday will see scattered storms again, especially in the afternoon. Rain chances continue through Derby week, but mostly in periodic showers with plenty of dry times. The unsettled pattern will likely ease by next week.
SUMMARY: Severe weather is expected to return on Thursday, with a cold front moving through the Ohio Valley and re-energizing the atmosphere, creating conditions for strong to severe storms, including damaging winds, large hail, and isolated tornadoes. All of Central and Eastern Kentucky is under a Level 2 (Slight Risk) for severe weather. The storms will be fueled by gusty southwest winds, pushing temperatures into the low 80s. For Oaks Day (Friday), scattered showers and storms are likely, and the forecast for Derby Day (Saturday) is uncertain, with possible lingering clouds and showers. Temperatures will be cooler, staying in the mid-60s for the weekend.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Dave Mason | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-29 19:00:00
(The Center Square) – California and Arizona Tuesday joined 22 other states and the District of Columbia to sue the Trump administration to stop cuts in AmeriCorps’ grants and workforce.
The lawsuit objects to the federal government reducing 85% of the workforce for the agency, which promotes national service and volunteer work addressing disaster recovery and other community needs.
According to americorps.gov, the agency enrolls more than 200,000 people each year in community service organizations. AmeriCorps also provides more than $4.8 billion in education awards.
Besides California and Arizona, states filing the suit are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February directing every federal agency to reduce its staff. Since then, AmeriCorps has placed at least 85% of its workforce on administrative leave immediately and told employees they would be dismissed effective June 24, according to a news release from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
The states’ lawsuit contends the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce AmeriCorps and its grants violate the Administrative Procedures Act and the separation of powers under the U.S. Constitution.
California is co-leading the lawsuit against the Trump administration.
“In California, AmeriCorps volunteers build affordable housing, clean up our environment, and address food insecurity in communities across our state,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release. “California has repeatedly taken action to hold the Trump Administration and DOGE accountable to the law — and we stand prepared to do it again to protect AmeriCorps and the vital services it provides.”
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office said the cuts in AmeriCorps affect grants such as:
$700,000 for Northern Arizona University, Arizona Teacher’s Residency, designed to address teacher shortages.
$308,000 for Area Agency on Aging, Caring Circles, which helps older Arizonans with needs such as transportation to medical appointments, grocery shopping and help with technology.
$495,000 for Vista College Prepartory’s tutoring and teacher support for math and reading for low-income students.
“AmeriCorps represents the best of our nation – providing opportunities for millions of Americans to serve their neighbors and communities and make our country a better place to live,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said. “By unilaterally gutting this Congressionally authorized agency, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have yet again violated the law and the separation of powers under the U.S. Constitution. Their illegal actions will harm Arizona communities.”
Mayes noted studies show AmeriCorps programs generate more than $34 per every dollar spent in terms of their impact on communities.
“Slashing these programs serves no purpose and is incredibly short-sighted from those claiming to champion efficiency,” she said.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This article reports on a legal action filed by multiple states against the Trump administration over cuts to AmeriCorps, without offering an overt ideological stance. The content outlines the details of the lawsuit, the parties involved, and their claims. The language used is largely factual, describing the positions of the states, particularly California and Arizona, without endorsing one side. While the article highlights the perceived impacts of the cuts and quotes politicians critical of the Trump administration, it refrains from promoting an explicit viewpoint, focusing instead on reporting the legal and administrative actions at hand. The tone remains neutral and provides an equal space to both the states’ concerns and the implications of the lawsuit. It primarily serves as a factual report on the legal challenge, rather than an advocacy piece, and does not adopt a partisan perspective on the issue.
