Louisville Metro Department of CorrectionsFormer Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin was arrested Thursday while working as an extra on the set of a Christmas movie in Bourbon County, Kentucky, turning an otherwise routine film shoot into an unexpected police scene.
Bevin, who served as Kentucky governor from 2015 to 2019, was taken into custody by Bourbon County authorities and later booked into the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections.
He faces a charge listed as contempt of court — libel/slander, resistance to order, according to court and jail records cited by local news outlets.
Why was Matt Bevin arrested?
The arrest stems from an ongoing court dispute involving Bevin and his former wife, Glenna Bevin, concerning their divorce and their son, Jonah Bevin.
According to reports, a Jefferson County judge had issued a bench warrant after Bevin failed to provide financial records requested in the case.
The warrant had remained active when Bourbon County authorities located him Thursday.
TMZ, citing Louisville Public Media, reported that the financial records were connected to the continuing divorce and child-support proceedings.
Bevin was filming a Christmas movie when police arrived
Bevin was not arrested at a courthouse or his home.
Instead, authorities found him on a movie set in Paris, Kentucky, where he was working as an extra in The Greatest Christmas Gift.
According to WLKY, the production was filming a wedding scene at a farm in the Paris area when the Bourbon County sheriff arrived at around 6 p.m.
The farm’s owner told the station that deputies showed people a photograph of Bevin before locating him.
Bevin was reportedly allowed to use the restroom before being taken into custody.
The movie production then continued after his arrest.
What is The Greatest Christmas Gift?
The Greatest Christmas Gift is a Christmas movie being produced by Great American Media.
The film stars Danica McKellar, known for The Wonder Years, and Matthew Marsden.
McKellar plays music teacher Emma Harper, who is preparing for a Christmas wedding with her fiancé Caleb Bennett, played by Marsden. An unexpected setback threatens their plans before the community comes together around the couple.
The movie is scheduled to premiere on Great American Pure Flix on November 29.
Bevin’s appearance is reportedly as an extra rather than one of the movie’s principal cast members.
Bevin had faced another warrant earlier this year
The current warrant was reportedly not Bevin’s first legal issue involving the case this year.
According to Louisville Public Media, a previous warrant was issued after Bevin failed to appear for a court hearing in May.
Bevin reportedly attributed that absence to a boulder striking his vacation home in Maine. He subsequently paid a fine, and that warrant was withdrawn.
A later warrant was issued after the court said Bevin had failed to provide the requested financial records.
Because he was unable to pay the associated fine, the warrant remained active.
That eventually led to his arrest in Bourbon County.
What happens next?
Bevin is scheduled to appear in court again at 1 p.m. Friday, according to WLKY.
The unusual circumstances of his arrest have drawn attention because of the contrast between the legal proceedings and the setting in which authorities found him: a Christmas movie shoot featuring a wedding scene.
Bevin served as Kentucky’s 62nd governor from 2015 through 2019 before returning to private life and other political and business activities.
His latest legal trouble has now put the former governor back in the headlines after deputies located him on a movie set in rural Kentucky.
