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Covington man facing felony charges following pardon from Matt Bevin, court records show

Quinlan Bentley
Cincinnati Enquirer

A Covington man pardoned by former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin in 2019 is once again facing felony charges in Kenton County, court records show.

Johiem Bandy, 20, is charged with second-degree strangulation and fourth-degree assault and second-degree criminal mischief in connection with incidents that happened in March and April, according to documents filed in Kenton County District Court.

One victim, identified in court documents as the mother of Bandy's child, told Covington police officers Bandy "pinned her against the wall, placing his hands around her neck, and restricting her ability to breathe," the complaint reads.

Another complaint filed in Kenton County says Bandy choked and assaulted a woman, who he had been previously been in a relationship with, following a dispute over money.

Bandy was booked into the Kenton County Detention Center Wednesday after he was extradited from the Hamilton County Justice Center, court records show. 

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In December 2017, when Bandy was 15 years old, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for robbery and assault, according to court documents.  Bandy had served two years of that sentence when he was fully pardoned by Bevin in December 2019.

"Johiem Bandy made some unwise decisions as a young teenager. Since then, he has done all that has been asked of him and is turning his life around," the pardon reads. "I am confident that he will do great things with his life."

Bandy's pardon was one of hundreds of pardons and commutations issued by Bevin during his final days in office.

Other beneficiaries included a convicted killer whose family hosted a campaign fundraiser for Bevin, an offender convicted of raping a child, another who hired a hit man to kill his business partner and a fourth who killed his parents, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.

"I didn’t agree with former Governor Bevin’s horrible decision to pardon Bandy when he made it, and Bandy’s most recent charges prove, yet again, the Governor’s reckless approach to mass pardons was foolish," Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders wrote in an email to The Enquirer.

"Obviously the former governor was very wrong," Sanders said. "Bandy hasn’t turned his life around."

Bandy is still being held at the Kenton County Detention Center on a $5,000 bond, Sanders said, adding Bandy will be ordered to home incarceration should he post bond.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, court records show.

The Louisville Courier Journal contributed to this report.