However, the union president is still looking into complaints about special treatment after LMDC’s video review.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — An investigation into a steakhouse dinner delivered to former Kentucky governor Matt Bevin in jail came back negative.
The allegations came early this morning, claiming Bevin’s receiving special treatment. He’s in jail for late delivery of financial documents in his divorce case, where his adopted son’s intervening.
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Corrections officers shared concerns with their union president. Daniel Johnson says he wants to review camera footage so he can find out if Bevin managed a deal, from jail, for Texas Roadhouse takeout. But Metro Corrections, in its own video review, denied the Roadhouse bag ever made it up to Bevin’s cell.
“I’ve never seen a Metro government department clear an investigation so quickly,” said Johnson.
The Louisville Metro Department of Corrections concluded there was no special meal after a four-hour review.
“The Major who was accused of delivering the meal was not even in Louisville that evening. This is a totally bogus story,” the department said in a statement.
“In some cases where there’s smoke there’s fire. But not always,” Johnson said.
Johnson, the union president for corrections officers, is looking for that fire after hearing union members’ complaints of Bevin getting special treatment.
“I’ve heard that — and I haven’t been able to verify again because I haven’t been inside — but that he’s given an extra mattress or extra linen, extra pillows, things of that nature regular people haven’t been given,” Johnson said.
He hasn’t found anything burning yet. Johnson brought up the case of golfer Scottie Scheffler, arrested outside Valhalla.
“I mean, let’s just be honest. Special treatment is given. When the professional golfer was arrested and locked up, he was out in 20 minutes. That doesn’t happen to anyone,” Johnson said.
Bevin went to jail after Judge Angela Johnson put out a warrant for his arrest, saying he failed to provide financial documents.
“You have done nothing to show the court that you are willing to act in good faith,” Judge Johnson said.
Bevin’s adopted son, Jonah Bevin, wants child support from his parents’ divorce case, saying they abandoned him at an abusive Jamaican boarding school.
Attorney Scott Cox argued Bevin ultimately turned over the documents, asking the judge if Bevin could serve his 60-day sentence at home instead of the jail.
“Because he’s a target of abuse to half the people who are in there,” Cox said.
And while Johnson hasn’t found any examples of special treatment, he says jailing a former governor comes with special considerations in routine.
“A lieutenant was ordered to get his phone off his property, take it to him, and allow him to get phone numbers off of his contacts. That’s not unusual. If we have somebody in custody, that has phone numbers they’re trying to get, it’s typically done through a counselor. It’s typically not done through a lieutenant. But I can see why they would want to see a supervisor oversee that process,” Johnson said.
And with that supervisor comes the bodycam video. Johnson expects he’ll be able to review the security camera footage of Bevin’s cell within the next couple of days.
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