Kansas man arrested in joint child exploitation investigation with Kentucky State Police

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (FOX 56) — A man was arrested on Friday in Topeka, Kansas, in connection with a joint investigation by Kentucky State Police (KSP) and the Kansas Board of Investigation (KBI) for alleged sexual exploitation in Warren County.

State police announced in an Aug. 22 news release that troopers with KSP Post 3 in Bowling Green got a call reporting that a juvenile had left their home with a 41-year-old man. Authorities spoke with the parents, and eventually found out that Justin R. Bevitt, 41, of Topeka, had allegedly met with the juvenile “several” times in the past.

According to Kansas investigators, Bevitt was arrested around 6:45 a.m. on Friday and charged with:

• Procuring or promoting the use of a minor
• First-degree unlawful transaction with a minor
• Second-degree unlawful transaction with a minor
• Distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor under the age of 18

Bevitt was lodged in the Shawnee County Department of Corrections in Kansas, per KBI officials, where additional charges against him are reportedly pending.

The joint investigation remains ongoing, with Bevitt expected to be extradited to Kentucky.