Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin sentenced to 60 days in jail

Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin was sentenced to 60 days in jail for his resistance to a court order charge Friday.

Bevin will have to serve 60 days, but he may be able to shorten his sentence if he shows a "demonstration of improvement" in the next 30 days, the Courier Journal reported .

Jefferson County Family Court Judge Angela Johnson argued that the sentence is appropriate because he repeatedly demonstrated "a complete disregard and utter disrespect for this court."

Bevin was arrested in Bourbon County, Ky., on an outstanding bench warrant Thursday and jailed in Louisville.

Bevin was acting as a "featured extra" on the set of a Christmas movie being filmed at a Paris, Ky., horse farm, Jessica Mohr, owner of the Houstondale, told WFPL News .

Bevin, a Republican, served one term as governor of Kentucky from 2015-2019. He lost his bid for re-election to Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear, who is now serving his second term.

He had an active bench warrant against him in Jefferson County. A judge had found him in contempt of court for not handing over the required financial documents in a child support dispute between Bevin and his son, Jonah Bevin.

Bourbon County Sheriff Tony Asbury said the office got a tip saying that Bevin was "a participant in a film project" being filmed there and had an arrest warrant.

"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.

He was then booked into the Louisville Metro Detention Center Thursday evening. He was charged with resistance to a court order.

"My understanding is that originally [police] knew where he was because he posted a picture of himself with the [lead] actor," Mohr told WFPL. "I'm pretty sure he deleted that picture."

Mohr said cable television company Great American Family was filming its latest movie, " The Greatest Christmas Gift of All ," starring Danica McKellar, at the property.

Bevin's two warrants were issued by Johnson. His first warrant was because he failed to appear in person in May for a hearing, which he said was because a "very large boulder" went through his vacation home in Maine. He paid the fine and the warrant was rescinded.

In June, Johnson issued another bench warrant for the financial records. On June 6, she sentenced Bevin to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Because of that warrant, Bevin failed to appear at a hearing on July 28.

Jonah Bevin is suing for child support from his parents after they allegedly abandoned him at an unlicensed Jamaican facility for troubled youth. The facility was later shut down by Jamaican authorities for alleged abuse and neglect while Jonah Bevin was there. After the facility was closed, the Bevins would not pick him up from Jamaica .

Jonah Bevin is one of four children that the Bevins adopted from Ethiopia. They have nine children in all.