March 25, 2025 • 19 mins
Attorneys for Jonah Bevin, who asked Jefferson Family Court for an EPO against his parents, Gov. Matt Bevin and Glenna Bevin, joined me on 840WHAS to explain Jonah's path forward.
A settlement was reached today for Jonah and his adoptive parents. Jonah's attorneys Dawn J Post and Melina Hettiaratchi have the debrief on today's court activities and the limitations placed upon Matt and Glenna Bevin, who are now divorced.
A settlement was reached today for Jonah and his adoptive parents. Jonah's attorneys Dawn J Post and Melina Hettiaratchi have the debrief on today's court activities and the limitations placed upon Matt and Glenna Bevin, who are now divorced.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
One of the stories percolating in town. Like always, there's
always something percolating that's not coffee brings the famous Don
Jay post to my studio attorney at lall, It's great
to see you in person.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
It's great to see you in person. I don't think
I've ever been called famous. Maybe infamous, but yes.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
No, not infamous. You are a legend. I appreciate the
work you do. I also want to say hi to
another attorney who's in the building with us, Melina Heterachi,
who is with the Helmers and associates Helmer's Law. It's
nice to see you.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Thank you, very nice to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
You work with John or Hall or Hall or John?
What's his first day?
Speaker 3 (00:40):
It's John Helmer's.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Is that a dual personality thing? Because I know people
that call him Hal and in other times he's John.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Is how when he's at home and the office is
sometimes home?
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Is he the boss or a colleague?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
He's I think we go by colleague.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
A colleague is the right term. Yes, good to see
you too. I met him a long time. They tell him.
I said, Hi, Okay, Dawn, I know you're in Louisville
from New York for serious business. You've been very protective
of a lot of people, and one of them is
Jonah Bevin, the adopted son of Kentucky's former governor, Matt
(01:14):
Bevin and his now former wife Glenna. And there was
a court case today, So can we just do a
basic debrief on what happened today in family court here
in Jefferson County.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Absolutely, as everyone knows, on the last court date, mister
Bevin chose to represent himself and cross examined his adopted son, which,
in my opinion, and while it is allowed within the
scope of the law, can feel like a form of abuse.
It's a form of manipulation, it's a form of intimidation.
And in fact, when he came into the courtroom, he
(01:46):
sat directly behind Jonah and breathed down his neck. Could
have sat anywhere else in the courthouse, but sat directly
behind him and who was breathing down his neck. And
so that was a very clear indication to us in
that how he wanted to approach the case, which was
purely just to intimidate Jonah and a silence his voice.
And Jonah was very strong in terms of presenting his story,
(02:10):
his truth, and very powerfully done. I believe, and so
in the interim he hired an attorney and the attorney
approached my local co council to be able to see
it that this matter could be settled. And that's in
fact what we did today, and that is an absolute
win for my client because he is walking out with
(02:31):
a six month EPO emergency protective order, which if violated,
would result in an immediate arrest of mister Bevin. He
cannot have access to weapons, the usual terms apply, and
following that there will be a civil order of protection
entered in the divorce case with respect to Glenna Bevan,
(02:53):
that the EVO EEO, my apologies language is different.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Than everyday stata state is.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Was withdrawn with respect to her because of course Jonah's
main concern was how mister Bevin was manipulating and using
Missus Bevin to contact him and what she would say,
and so we withdrew that he and we will have
a civil emergency protective order that will.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
That's what I want to ask Toelina. A civil emergency
protective order is different in what capacity?
Speaker 4 (03:26):
So one misconception is they're both civil orders. They both
come out of a civil court, not a criminal court.
The difference is the Emergency Protective order because it considers
the safety risks in a way that no other restraining
order really would. Also carries jail time for violation, so
you can serve up to a year if you violate
a emergency protective order.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Same thing for what we could have.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Done today, which I think is what a lot of
people are going to wonder, is why didn't we go
forward with testimony. If we had gone forward with testimony,
we would have been asking the judge to find that
a domestic violence incident had occurred was likely to continue occurring.
That would result in that Emergency protective order, that EPO
being turned into a domestic violence order, a DEVO, that
jail time sentence, that that threat still exists, no third
(04:12):
party contact, no weapons, up to three years.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
That's the full scope of what that can be.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
What we're what we've been offered is that six month
EPO carries that same jail time, grow directly to jail
kind of vibe, and then once if there's no violations
of that, we would enter a civil restraining order in
their divorce case, which allows Jonah to also have a
voice in what happened to maybe child support, maybe issues
(04:38):
with health insurance. What happened for his education requirements. He
can have a voice in their divorce case now.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Once you're eighteen years old, though, you can stay on
a family's insurance. I understand that. But as far as
child support goes, that evaporates, doesn't it.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
It doesn't necessarily In Kentucky, if a child's still in school, that.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Child support requirement can be can be extended.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
So for children who are still in school up in
till twenty one, especially under like an Individualized Education Plan
special education requirements, if you're still in school and receiving
support that way, you can still have a child support order. Also,
lots of families opt in to pay child support for
longer than that, especially with a child who maybe needs
additional support before going into college. They may say in
(05:18):
their divorce agreement, because you can do whatever you want
in your divorce agreement. They could have opted in. For
Jonah's purposes, he wants to continue going to school. There
are some concerns with where he has a diploma, but
that diploma is not from a legitimate organization, so he
may need to continue getting a ged and he needs
support during that time.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Where does this leave Glenna Bevin. We know that Matt
Bevin can't contact directly for six months, he can't have
possession of his weapons, but we all know relationships change
between children and parents, and so either one of this
is a question for either one of you. Does Glenna
Bevin have any capacity to contact Jonah or much she's
(06:00):
remained silent.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
No, she will have that civil restraining order almost immediately.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
We'll be drafting that with counsel.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
One of the inner plays here is there was different
council for the EPO on the domestic violence docket then
for the divorce case. So we'll work with them to
figure out the language that works for everybody. But that
language will say no contact at all, indirectly or directly,
except for specific carve outs. One of those we've already
identified is any information about his adoption, his biological family.
(06:29):
She would be able to provide that through council, so
our office would get his original adoption paperwork, any information,
contact info for the biological family that he might still have,
alive or dead, whatever connection he wants to make with
his biological family.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
What about his siblings, so he does still.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Have a minor sibling in the home.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
We're hoping that there might be a time where we
can have a visitation there he can continue having a
relationship with that child. But at the time, Kentucky law
does not create a carve out for sibling visitation. So
if your parents, if your parents cut you off, you
may not see that little brother or sister again for
a while.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
And that is incredibly sad for a young person who
is very desperate for family. And I have actually helped
change the law in New York with respect to post
adoption sibling visitation. But the law and research is very
clear and that sibling relationships tend to be much much
more stronger than oftentimes with biological parents. And so when
there's a removal and there's that loss of relationship with
(07:28):
a younger sibling, that can be incredibly traumatizing for all.
So that is something that I hope that we can negotiate.
Jonah is very concerned about his younger brother. He wants
to make sure that he's okay, but he also simply
cares and wants to have a relationship with him as well.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Is the younger brother, the under eighteen brother one of
the Ethiopian adopteeses.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
I see that is true they grew up in the
same orphanage.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
I do want to read Glenna Bevan's statement that was issued.
She appeared virtually I understand in court she right. This
situation has been extremely difficult and painful for our entire family.
I'm glad it's over and the case against me is dismissed.
I love my children and want what is best for
all of them. That's the complete statement. Matt Bevan had
(08:15):
nothing to say after it was over.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
My understanding is he left Core and did not respond
to any questions.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
But he does have a lawyer now instead of defending himself. Yes, yes,
so that was a little change in the weather.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
That was a little change in the weather. I'm not
sure if he realized how poorly it came across when
he testified during the first court appearance, or whether others
convinced him of it, but certainly you do not do
well generally representing yourself, and so he hired an attorney
who obviously reached out to try to settle this in
what we believed to be very favorbal for Jonah. This
(08:50):
is a win for Jonah and that his voice was
heard and was believed, I believe by many people who
heard it, and for someone who's told repeatedly that no
one will believe you, You're just a liar, You're just
a manipulator. And race sometimes plays a role into all
of this as well, with respect to interracial adoptions, and
(09:13):
so this was really important for him to tell his
story and know that people are there and that they
believe him.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Melina, do either of the parents, Matt or Glenna Bevan,
are they responsible for paying, say, the legal bills for Jonah.
Speaker 4 (09:26):
It's an ongoing conversation at this time. They're not paying
for them.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
So you can have a negotiation. You and Matt Bevan's
attorney and Steve Romines, who represents Glenna, can all converse
on this sort of match. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
The only clarification is there's different council representing both Matt
and Glenna each in their divorce case, and we can
talk about what that settlement might look like.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I will say though for my purposes, I'm not a
part of that because I'm not.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
To understand case. I want to get into that with
you too, because I know there's GoFundMe. A lot of
people came to support that does help Jonah. So Jonah's
not destitute at the moment. Is that the right way
to put.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
That, absolutely, and that is so appreciated. How many people
came forward and assisted in his time of need because
he was homeless when I first picked him up. He
had two pairs of pants, a pair of sneakers, and
a toothbrush, and so we were able to get him closed.
We were able to get him an eye exam, We
were able to get him a medical exam, get him glasses.
(10:25):
This will help him get on his feet where he
lands next and give him breathing room as he decides
what needs to be done. However, my services have been
offered pro bono and I've started a nonprofit law firm
as a result of the work that I've been doing
the past year and which has been primarily focused on
the adoptees that were abandoned in Jamaica. But there are
(10:47):
a lot more abandoned adoptees than people realize, and so
I personally have never wanted to be a personal injury attorney,
have never wanted to make money off of children, which
is why I've always lived in the space of nonprofit
and children's rights and advocacy, and so no, I'm not
a part of any settlement with respect to payment of
(11:09):
any fees, and am currently seeking grants or rather funding
to be able to help support the work that I've
been doing this past year.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
You experienced some sort of or witness some sort of
trauma as a kid yourself, I read in the bio.
Now this sort of led you down this path.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yes, I decided I was going to be a lawyer
for children when I was tat now. I grew up
in the backwoods of Maine, no TV, so I read
a lot of Perry.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Mason, Stephen King down the road.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Yes, so as a strange kid anyway, very intelligent. But
I heard through the radio NPR of a young girl
that had been killed by her biological family after being
returned to family foster being returned from foster care to
a biological home. And it was a horrific, horrific death.
And in my mind I thought, if she had had
(11:55):
a lawyer, that wouldn't have happened. And so I decided
I was going to be a lawyer for children at
that age, and hell is for children by Pat Benattar,
I got me there a lot too, played that a lot,
and ended up dropping out of high school to go
to college earlier in order to go on my path.
And so this has been my career and I am
(12:16):
very I'm very comfortable in the nonprofit space, and that's
where I feel like I belong and can be the
most help. And so I'm representing a lot of adoptees
who've been abandoned in terms of their emergency situations. Obviously,
in Jonas case and a few of the other boys
rescued from Atlantis, that has gone a little above and
beyond what others might do. But it was what I
(12:38):
felt was right in order to make sure that his
voice was heard.
Speaker 5 (12:41):
Had we not shown up.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
On the island and not been present when he came back,
then all of this would have been forgotten and lost.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
School me a little bit on these rehabilitation places, I mean,
I understand that they can send a squad to take
a kid out of their home at night, an underage,
cause it sounds it's ridiculous. It's trafficking.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Bottom line, I believe it's trafficking, and so they and
actually Jonah was handcuffed in a plane and taken to
taken to Jamaica by some a stranger who he did
not know, who had been hired for the sole purpose,
and in fact, he saw a text message from mister
Bevin saying yes, handcuff him, and so he was the
(13:23):
passport was obtained by this individual, and then he was
taken Atlanta's Leadership Academy and left to bear by this individual.
So there are places like this all over the country.
They are commonly known or they're so called Troubled Team
facilities and a lot of well and they're often I
think there's a misconception, and the reason why I did
(13:43):
not realize how many adoptees were abandoned there is because
I often thought of it as the rich white kids
like getting sent there. But I have learned, primarily through
the work that I was doing on Jonah's case, is
that how many adoptees are being warehoused and left at
these facilities for their complete minority years. And there's one
facility I'm investigating in Jamaica that has one hundred up
(14:06):
to one hundred and eighty adoptees called Youth of Vision
Academy YOVA, and it has direct ties to a facility
that was closed in the US called Miracle Meadows in
West Virginia that settled for over one hundred million dollars
for the torture of children. Now those leaders went and
opened in another country. Why are they opening another country?
(14:28):
Of course because there's no oversight, no licensing, no regulation,
and they can keep kids past their eighteen.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
And parents are paying eight to ten thousand a month.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Well, Atlantis it is eight to ten thousand dollars a month.
I believe that Yova it's a little less, but they
have a lot more kids that are in their care.
But I have I'm representing a number of the survivors
who come back who've been told your adoptive families want
nothing to do with you. They've been warehoused for five
years and now they're homeless in the US, and so
I'm trying to help them with their emergency needs.
Speaker 5 (15:00):
But the same abuses.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
That occurred in West Virginia at Miracle Meadows are occurring
at Youth of Vision Academy and Jamaica. And we're talking
about sex trafficking, we're talking about labor trafficking, we are
talking about physical abuse, and many of the same things
that Jonah experienced, but we're talking on a much larger scale.
Given the capacity of adoptees that they're housing there.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Dawn, where can people find this foundation? You're talking about it,
you're running?
Speaker 2 (15:26):
So my nonprofit law firm is called themis th Emis,
the Goddess of justice of course, of course famous youth
law and advocacy.
Speaker 5 (15:35):
I'm based in New York City.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
I am a nonprofit and so donations can be made
through there and would be very much appreciated. As a
to date, I'm using my four oh one K to
fund this work. And you know, my clients are kids.
They don't realize what that actually means. But for adults
in the room, we all know what that means. But
it was what I felt I had to do to
(15:56):
be able to continue the work that I've been doing
and help the kids that really really need it.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
Molina will close with this, what about Jonah? Now? Going forward?
I ask about the go fund me? So is he liquid?
Does he have a place to go? Is he does
he live here? Or I don't know what you want
to review?
Speaker 5 (16:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (16:15):
So he he has is comfortable revealing he is not
going to stay in Kentucky. He doesn't want to stay here.
He has a place, a safe place that he is
going to live with people who are known to him
that he can trust. Uh. Don is actually helping a
lot with that with basically a re entry program. That's
really what this looks like for a lot of these
children is they've been incarcerated for better or worse, uh
(16:38):
and then they are having to re enter society.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
And so he is. He's got a lot of support there.
Speaker 4 (16:42):
Mostly through Don honestly, and I think even Don's family,
like she they've really invested in this child and so adult,
he's an adult, he's a grown up now.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
But yeah, so that's what that looks like.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Legally, we will be working on the civil restraining orders,
what kind of settlement agreement we have there. He has
the option for multiple different lawsuits because of what's happened
to him, and we'll be working on what needs to
happen locally who we might have help with that because
we just do the family law side. But yeah, so,
I mean, he's he's got a lot of work that
is going to have to keep coming.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
But today was a day for he feels safe, and
that's what matters.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
I did also want to mention that a lot has
come out about how Matt Bevin was allowed to cross
examine his accuser and that you know, we know that
that's part of the law. You can cross examine your witnesses,
people who are unrepresented in the domestic violence docket. That's
what they go through every day. Most people are not
represented on the domestic violence docket. So that means any
(17:40):
person who comes in and says, this is what happened
to me, I need the court to help me get
to a safe place and not be followed their abuser
can cross examine them every single time. And it's the
judges who I think Judge Johnson did a great job
with Jonah.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
The judges protect that. They say, you don't get to
talk directly to them.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
You talk to me, and I decide whether it's inappropriate question,
because a lot of times that's another active abuse.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
So she would tell Matt Bevin, look at me, look,
don't look across at your adopted son.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
Nice yes, and that didn't occur.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
She I mean, I think she also cut down when
Matt Bevin was saying, don't worry, judge, I'll prove that
he's lying. He did a lot of trying to manipulate
Jonah's story while it's being told, and so she said, sir,
you've laid your foundation. You'll get your time to testify,
but right now he is just ask him the questions
and she did a great job. And that's that's what
our family court judges have to do every week, every week.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
But this is all over now as long as there's
no violation of the EPO. This case is of this case.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
But there could be further cases, and I in fact
anticipate there will be additional cases coming.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
For Jonah against despairs potentially potentially. Well, we'll just leave
it there then, don Post a pleasure to see you
in person.
Speaker 5 (18:55):
Thank you so much for having us.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (18:57):
I appreciates the.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
Work you're doing. I mean it's it's global. I appreciate that,
and I appreciate what you're doing locally. Molina, thank you.
Thank you both. Malina head A Rachi with Helmer's Law
and Dawn Post has our own foundation. You can find
both of them online. I appreciate your work on behalf
of Jonah Bevan. We'll continue the conversation when necessary here
on NewsRadio eight forty whas
One of the stories percolating in town. Like always, there's
always something percolating that's not coffee brings the famous Don
Jay post to my studio attorney at lall, It's great
to see you in person.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
It's great to see you in person. I don't think
I've ever been called famous. Maybe infamous, but yes.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
No, not infamous. You are a legend. I appreciate the
work you do. I also want to say hi to
another attorney who's in the building with us, Melina Heterachi,
who is with the Helmers and associates Helmer's Law. It's
nice to see you.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Thank you, very nice to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
You work with John or Hall or Hall or John?
What's his first day?
Speaker 3 (00:40):
It's John Helmer's.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Is that a dual personality thing? Because I know people
that call him Hal and in other times he's John.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Is how when he's at home and the office is
sometimes home?
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Is he the boss or a colleague?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
He's I think we go by colleague.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
A colleague is the right term. Yes, good to see
you too. I met him a long time. They tell him.
I said, Hi, Okay, Dawn, I know you're in Louisville
from New York for serious business. You've been very protective
of a lot of people, and one of them is
Jonah Bevin, the adopted son of Kentucky's former governor, Matt
(01:14):
Bevin and his now former wife Glenna. And there was
a court case today, So can we just do a
basic debrief on what happened today in family court here
in Jefferson County.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Absolutely, as everyone knows, on the last court date, mister
Bevin chose to represent himself and cross examined his adopted son, which,
in my opinion, and while it is allowed within the
scope of the law, can feel like a form of abuse.
It's a form of manipulation, it's a form of intimidation.
And in fact, when he came into the courtroom, he
(01:46):
sat directly behind Jonah and breathed down his neck. Could
have sat anywhere else in the courthouse, but sat directly
behind him and who was breathing down his neck. And
so that was a very clear indication to us in
that how he wanted to approach the case, which was
purely just to intimidate Jonah and a silence his voice.
And Jonah was very strong in terms of presenting his story,
(02:10):
his truth, and very powerfully done. I believe, and so
in the interim he hired an attorney and the attorney
approached my local co council to be able to see
it that this matter could be settled. And that's in
fact what we did today, and that is an absolute
win for my client because he is walking out with
(02:31):
a six month EPO emergency protective order, which if violated,
would result in an immediate arrest of mister Bevin. He
cannot have access to weapons, the usual terms apply, and
following that there will be a civil order of protection
entered in the divorce case with respect to Glenna Bevan,
(02:53):
that the EVO EEO, my apologies language is different.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Than everyday stata state is.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Was withdrawn with respect to her because of course Jonah's
main concern was how mister Bevin was manipulating and using
Missus Bevin to contact him and what she would say,
and so we withdrew that he and we will have
a civil emergency protective order that will.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
That's what I want to ask Toelina. A civil emergency
protective order is different in what capacity?
Speaker 4 (03:26):
So one misconception is they're both civil orders. They both
come out of a civil court, not a criminal court.
The difference is the Emergency Protective order because it considers
the safety risks in a way that no other restraining
order really would. Also carries jail time for violation, so
you can serve up to a year if you violate
a emergency protective order.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Same thing for what we could have.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Done today, which I think is what a lot of
people are going to wonder, is why didn't we go
forward with testimony. If we had gone forward with testimony,
we would have been asking the judge to find that
a domestic violence incident had occurred was likely to continue occurring.
That would result in that Emergency protective order, that EPO
being turned into a domestic violence order, a DEVO, that
jail time sentence, that that threat still exists, no third
(04:12):
party contact, no weapons, up to three years.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
That's the full scope of what that can be.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
What we're what we've been offered is that six month
EPO carries that same jail time, grow directly to jail
kind of vibe, and then once if there's no violations
of that, we would enter a civil restraining order in
their divorce case, which allows Jonah to also have a
voice in what happened to maybe child support, maybe issues
(04:38):
with health insurance. What happened for his education requirements. He
can have a voice in their divorce case now.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Once you're eighteen years old, though, you can stay on
a family's insurance. I understand that. But as far as
child support goes, that evaporates, doesn't it.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
It doesn't necessarily In Kentucky, if a child's still in school, that.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Child support requirement can be can be extended.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
So for children who are still in school up in
till twenty one, especially under like an Individualized Education Plan
special education requirements, if you're still in school and receiving
support that way, you can still have a child support order. Also,
lots of families opt in to pay child support for
longer than that, especially with a child who maybe needs
additional support before going into college. They may say in
(05:18):
their divorce agreement, because you can do whatever you want
in your divorce agreement. They could have opted in. For
Jonah's purposes, he wants to continue going to school. There
are some concerns with where he has a diploma, but
that diploma is not from a legitimate organization, so he
may need to continue getting a ged and he needs
support during that time.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Where does this leave Glenna Bevin. We know that Matt
Bevin can't contact directly for six months, he can't have
possession of his weapons, but we all know relationships change
between children and parents, and so either one of this
is a question for either one of you. Does Glenna
Bevin have any capacity to contact Jonah or much she's
(06:00):
remained silent.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
No, she will have that civil restraining order almost immediately.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
We'll be drafting that with counsel.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
One of the inner plays here is there was different
council for the EPO on the domestic violence docket then
for the divorce case. So we'll work with them to
figure out the language that works for everybody. But that
language will say no contact at all, indirectly or directly,
except for specific carve outs. One of those we've already
identified is any information about his adoption, his biological family.
(06:29):
She would be able to provide that through council, so
our office would get his original adoption paperwork, any information,
contact info for the biological family that he might still have,
alive or dead, whatever connection he wants to make with
his biological family.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
What about his siblings, so he does still.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Have a minor sibling in the home.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
We're hoping that there might be a time where we
can have a visitation there he can continue having a
relationship with that child. But at the time, Kentucky law
does not create a carve out for sibling visitation. So
if your parents, if your parents cut you off, you
may not see that little brother or sister again for
a while.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
And that is incredibly sad for a young person who
is very desperate for family. And I have actually helped
change the law in New York with respect to post
adoption sibling visitation. But the law and research is very
clear and that sibling relationships tend to be much much
more stronger than oftentimes with biological parents. And so when
there's a removal and there's that loss of relationship with
(07:28):
a younger sibling, that can be incredibly traumatizing for all.
So that is something that I hope that we can negotiate.
Jonah is very concerned about his younger brother. He wants
to make sure that he's okay, but he also simply
cares and wants to have a relationship with him as well.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Is the younger brother, the under eighteen brother one of
the Ethiopian adopteeses.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
I see that is true they grew up in the
same orphanage.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
I do want to read Glenna Bevan's statement that was issued.
She appeared virtually I understand in court she right. This
situation has been extremely difficult and painful for our entire family.
I'm glad it's over and the case against me is dismissed.
I love my children and want what is best for
all of them. That's the complete statement. Matt Bevan had
(08:15):
nothing to say after it was over.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
My understanding is he left Core and did not respond
to any questions.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
But he does have a lawyer now instead of defending himself. Yes, yes,
so that was a little change in the weather.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
That was a little change in the weather. I'm not
sure if he realized how poorly it came across when
he testified during the first court appearance, or whether others
convinced him of it, but certainly you do not do
well generally representing yourself, and so he hired an attorney
who obviously reached out to try to settle this in
what we believed to be very favorbal for Jonah. This
(08:50):
is a win for Jonah and that his voice was
heard and was believed, I believe by many people who
heard it, and for someone who's told repeatedly that no
one will believe you, You're just a liar, You're just
a manipulator. And race sometimes plays a role into all
of this as well, with respect to interracial adoptions, and
(09:13):
so this was really important for him to tell his
story and know that people are there and that they
believe him.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Melina, do either of the parents, Matt or Glenna Bevan,
are they responsible for paying, say, the legal bills for Jonah.
Speaker 4 (09:26):
It's an ongoing conversation at this time. They're not paying
for them.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
So you can have a negotiation. You and Matt Bevan's
attorney and Steve Romines, who represents Glenna, can all converse
on this sort of match. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
The only clarification is there's different council representing both Matt
and Glenna each in their divorce case, and we can
talk about what that settlement might look like.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I will say though for my purposes, I'm not a
part of that because I'm not.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
To understand case. I want to get into that with
you too, because I know there's GoFundMe. A lot of
people came to support that does help Jonah. So Jonah's
not destitute at the moment. Is that the right way
to put.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
That, absolutely, and that is so appreciated. How many people
came forward and assisted in his time of need because
he was homeless when I first picked him up. He
had two pairs of pants, a pair of sneakers, and
a toothbrush, and so we were able to get him closed.
We were able to get him an eye exam, We
were able to get him a medical exam, get him glasses.
(10:25):
This will help him get on his feet where he
lands next and give him breathing room as he decides
what needs to be done. However, my services have been
offered pro bono and I've started a nonprofit law firm
as a result of the work that I've been doing
the past year and which has been primarily focused on
the adoptees that were abandoned in Jamaica. But there are
(10:47):
a lot more abandoned adoptees than people realize, and so
I personally have never wanted to be a personal injury attorney,
have never wanted to make money off of children, which
is why I've always lived in the space of nonprofit
and children's rights and advocacy, and so no, I'm not
a part of any settlement with respect to payment of
(11:09):
any fees, and am currently seeking grants or rather funding
to be able to help support the work that I've
been doing this past year.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
You experienced some sort of or witness some sort of
trauma as a kid yourself, I read in the bio.
Now this sort of led you down this path.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yes, I decided I was going to be a lawyer
for children when I was tat now. I grew up
in the backwoods of Maine, no TV, so I read
a lot of Perry.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Mason, Stephen King down the road.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Yes, so as a strange kid anyway, very intelligent. But
I heard through the radio NPR of a young girl
that had been killed by her biological family after being
returned to family foster being returned from foster care to
a biological home. And it was a horrific, horrific death.
And in my mind I thought, if she had had
(11:55):
a lawyer, that wouldn't have happened. And so I decided
I was going to be a lawyer for children at
that age, and hell is for children by Pat Benattar,
I got me there a lot too, played that a lot,
and ended up dropping out of high school to go
to college earlier in order to go on my path.
And so this has been my career and I am
(12:16):
very I'm very comfortable in the nonprofit space, and that's
where I feel like I belong and can be the
most help. And so I'm representing a lot of adoptees
who've been abandoned in terms of their emergency situations. Obviously,
in Jonas case and a few of the other boys
rescued from Atlantis, that has gone a little above and
beyond what others might do. But it was what I
(12:38):
felt was right in order to make sure that his
voice was heard.
Speaker 5 (12:41):
Had we not shown up.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
On the island and not been present when he came back,
then all of this would have been forgotten and lost.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
School me a little bit on these rehabilitation places, I mean,
I understand that they can send a squad to take
a kid out of their home at night, an underage,
cause it sounds it's ridiculous. It's trafficking.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Bottom line, I believe it's trafficking, and so they and
actually Jonah was handcuffed in a plane and taken to
taken to Jamaica by some a stranger who he did
not know, who had been hired for the sole purpose,
and in fact, he saw a text message from mister
Bevin saying yes, handcuff him, and so he was the
(13:23):
passport was obtained by this individual, and then he was
taken Atlanta's Leadership Academy and left to bear by this individual.
So there are places like this all over the country.
They are commonly known or they're so called Troubled Team
facilities and a lot of well and they're often I
think there's a misconception, and the reason why I did
(13:43):
not realize how many adoptees were abandoned there is because
I often thought of it as the rich white kids
like getting sent there. But I have learned, primarily through
the work that I was doing on Jonah's case, is
that how many adoptees are being warehoused and left at
these facilities for their complete minority years. And there's one
facility I'm investigating in Jamaica that has one hundred up
(14:06):
to one hundred and eighty adoptees called Youth of Vision
Academy YOVA, and it has direct ties to a facility
that was closed in the US called Miracle Meadows in
West Virginia that settled for over one hundred million dollars
for the torture of children. Now those leaders went and
opened in another country. Why are they opening another country?
(14:28):
Of course because there's no oversight, no licensing, no regulation,
and they can keep kids past their eighteen.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
And parents are paying eight to ten thousand a month.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Well, Atlantis it is eight to ten thousand dollars a month.
I believe that Yova it's a little less, but they
have a lot more kids that are in their care.
But I have I'm representing a number of the survivors
who come back who've been told your adoptive families want
nothing to do with you. They've been warehoused for five
years and now they're homeless in the US, and so
I'm trying to help them with their emergency needs.
Speaker 5 (15:00):
But the same abuses.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
That occurred in West Virginia at Miracle Meadows are occurring
at Youth of Vision Academy and Jamaica. And we're talking
about sex trafficking, we're talking about labor trafficking, we are
talking about physical abuse, and many of the same things
that Jonah experienced, but we're talking on a much larger scale.
Given the capacity of adoptees that they're housing there.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Dawn, where can people find this foundation? You're talking about it,
you're running?
Speaker 2 (15:26):
So my nonprofit law firm is called themis th Emis,
the Goddess of justice of course, of course famous youth
law and advocacy.
Speaker 5 (15:35):
I'm based in New York City.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
I am a nonprofit and so donations can be made
through there and would be very much appreciated. As a
to date, I'm using my four oh one K to
fund this work. And you know, my clients are kids.
They don't realize what that actually means. But for adults
in the room, we all know what that means. But
it was what I felt I had to do to
(15:56):
be able to continue the work that I've been doing
and help the kids that really really need it.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
Molina will close with this, what about Jonah? Now? Going forward?
I ask about the go fund me? So is he liquid?
Does he have a place to go? Is he does
he live here? Or I don't know what you want
to review?
Speaker 5 (16:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (16:15):
So he he has is comfortable revealing he is not
going to stay in Kentucky. He doesn't want to stay here.
He has a place, a safe place that he is
going to live with people who are known to him
that he can trust. Uh. Don is actually helping a
lot with that with basically a re entry program. That's
really what this looks like for a lot of these
children is they've been incarcerated for better or worse, uh
(16:38):
and then they are having to re enter society.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
And so he is. He's got a lot of support there.
Speaker 4 (16:42):
Mostly through Don honestly, and I think even Don's family,
like she they've really invested in this child and so adult,
he's an adult, he's a grown up now.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
But yeah, so that's what that looks like.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Legally, we will be working on the civil restraining orders,
what kind of settlement agreement we have there. He has
the option for multiple different lawsuits because of what's happened
to him, and we'll be working on what needs to
happen locally who we might have help with that because
we just do the family law side. But yeah, so,
I mean, he's he's got a lot of work that
is going to have to keep coming.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
But today was a day for he feels safe, and
that's what matters.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
I did also want to mention that a lot has
come out about how Matt Bevin was allowed to cross
examine his accuser and that you know, we know that
that's part of the law. You can cross examine your witnesses,
people who are unrepresented in the domestic violence docket. That's
what they go through every day. Most people are not
represented on the domestic violence docket. So that means any
(17:40):
person who comes in and says, this is what happened
to me, I need the court to help me get
to a safe place and not be followed their abuser
can cross examine them every single time. And it's the
judges who I think Judge Johnson did a great job
with Jonah.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
The judges protect that. They say, you don't get to
talk directly to them.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
You talk to me, and I decide whether it's inappropriate question,
because a lot of times that's another active abuse.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
So she would tell Matt Bevin, look at me, look,
don't look across at your adopted son.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
Nice yes, and that didn't occur.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
She I mean, I think she also cut down when
Matt Bevin was saying, don't worry, judge, I'll prove that
he's lying. He did a lot of trying to manipulate
Jonah's story while it's being told, and so she said, sir,
you've laid your foundation. You'll get your time to testify,
but right now he is just ask him the questions
and she did a great job. And that's that's what
our family court judges have to do every week, every week.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
But this is all over now as long as there's
no violation of the EPO. This case is of this case.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
But there could be further cases, and I in fact
anticipate there will be additional cases coming.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
For Jonah against despairs potentially potentially. Well, we'll just leave
it there then, don Post a pleasure to see you
in person.
Speaker 5 (18:55):
Thank you so much for having us.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (18:57):
I appreciates the.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
Work you're doing. I mean it's it's global. I appreciate that,
and I appreciate what you're doing locally. Molina, thank you.
Thank you both. Malina head A Rachi with Helmer's Law
and Dawn Post has our own foundation. You can find
both of them online. I appreciate your work on behalf
of Jonah Bevan. We'll continue the conversation when necessary here
on NewsRadio eight forty whas
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