Ongoing story Justice for Jonah Bevin

Jonah Bevin, the adopted son of former Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin, alleges that he was subjected to physical beatings and waterboarding at the Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica shortly after his arrival. The allegations were presented at a July hearing, and the case has involved legal actions over child support and protective orders. The facility has since closed, and the case remains pending in family court.

Former Governor Matt Bevin was arrested on a civil contempt charge related to a child support case and served time at Louisville Metro Corrections before being released on appeal. The Court of Appeals stayed the remainder of his sentence, and further hearings in the family court remain pending.

Former Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin was arrested and sentenced to 60 days in Jefferson County Jail for contempt of court after failing to produce all required financial documents in a family law dispute. The Kentucky Court of Appeals ordered his immediate release while it reviews whether the incarceration was appropriate, noting his appeal raises a colorable claim that continued detention may be unlawful.

Surveillance cameras at a Louisville jail went dark for approximately six minutes during which a corrections lieutenant entered the facility and delivered a meal to former governor Matt Bevin. The incident follows allegations that Bevin’s adopted son, Jonah Bevin, was abused at multiple troubled‑teen facilities, and that Bevin was arrested for contempt of court related to a child‑support case. The event highlights concerns about staff conduct and oversight in the correctional setting.

Joie Laughlin, a 21-year-old Haitian adoptee with disabilities, has returned to the United States after being sent to Haiti and left stranded for months. She alleges years of abuse in the U.S. and at a Jamaican boarding school. Joie is now seeking freedom and stability, and her attorney plans to sue the boarding school and her adoptive parents for labor trafficking and failing to support a disabled adult.

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Elijah, a survivor of Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica, was scheduled to have a hearing in Grand Traverse County Family Court on September 11, 2024

Elijah was abandoned in Jamaica by his wealthy adoptive parents

Dawn Post, Elijah’s attorney, has been staying with Elijah since he returned to the United States

A circuit court referee went on the record to report that the hearing was waived and Elijah would be placed with Child Protective Services, followed by a foster care placement

Post, Paris Hilton, and other child advocates had reportedly spent months reaching out to officials in Michigan on Elijah’s behalf, but they received no response

“Sources UpNorthLive spoke to said the parents told them they were under the impression if they went to Jamaica they would be arrested.”

More than a dozen people attended Elijah’s hearing, including TTI survivor and advocate Jenn Marie Newton

Elijah’s parental abandonment has not been legally recognized by the court yet, but a pretrial will be scheduled

The Times reported that Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica was closed in April due to child abuse

“Noah” Bevin, son of former KY Governor Matt Bevin, was among the children abandoned in Jamaica when the school was closed

Two other Black boys were also abandoned at Atlantis Leadership Academy

Adoptive parents sending their children to TTI facilities is a growing trend, particularly among white Christians

“Adoption in the US has an estimated failure rate of up to 25 percent.”

Atlantis Leadership Academy was an American facility with American operators

When adopted children struggle with emotional or behavioral issues due to trauma, adoptive parents sometimes send them to TTI programs

Some white Christian adoptive parents are preoccupied with their self-image as a “savior” and prioritize their reputations above their children’s needs

Savior mindsets for adoptive parents are extremely damaging to developing children

The Bevins were originally not allowed to be foster parents in the US because they already had five biological children. They adopted four children from Ethiopia instead

International adoptees, especially children of color, often experience a great deal of pain due to being separated from their culture of origin

Noah believes his father adopted him to benefit his “public image”

Adoptees have their adoption trauma exacerbated by the TTI

Adoptees are over-represented in TTI facilities

Adoptees are four times more likely to die by suicide

The blog author has created an organization called Adoptee Survivors of the Troubled Teen Industry

Staff Mentioned: Randall Cook, founder of Atlantis Youth Academy

Update: “Noah” Bevin, adopted son of former KY governor Matt Bevin did not return to KY after being abandoned in Jamaica at Atlantis Youth Academy

He returned to the US in May and was given a new place to live with new guardians and he is reportedly doing better, but we don’t know details

Noah was originally adopted from Ethiopia, along with three of his siblings

One boy from Atlantis Youth Academy is still in Jamaica in state custody

Noah was given assistance from 11:11 Media Impact and an attorney named Dawn J. Post

Chelsea Maldonado, of 11:11 Media Impact, and Dawn J. Post were both interviewed for this article

Matt Bevin is a conservative Christian and Republican who was governor of Kentucky from 2015-2019

Bevin claimed that his primary motivation to run was to fix the state’s foster care and adoption systems

Bevin and his wife Glenna adopted 4 children from Ethiopia

One of the Bevins’ adopted children, a 17 year-old boy given the pseudonym “Noah”, was just rescued from Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica in February after authorities discovered extreme abuse and neglect at the facility

The Bevins have 5 biological children, in addition to their adopted children

Glenna Bevin field for divorce in May 2023

The Bevins did not pick up Noah from Jamaica and instead allowed him to become a ward of the Jamaican state

Glenna Bevin obtained a court order in April 2024 because Matt Bevin kept entering her home without permission, despite having been separated for two years

Only two of the Bevins’ 9 children are still minors

A hearing held for the rescued boys was held in April and attended by Paris Hilton

The Bevins adopted internationally after being denied a domestic adoption

Noah attended a TTI facility in Florida before being transferred to Jamaica