Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin criticized for comments on pardon of convicted child rapist

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Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin defended his pardon of a man found guilty of raping a 9-year-old child, saying the conviction was not based on physical evidence.

Micah Schoettle was in the second year of a 23-year sentence when Bevin controversially pardoned him of rape, sodomy and other sexual crimes last week.

"There was zero evidence," Bevin said during a 17-minute radio interview with talk show host Terry Meiners on Thursday, according to The Courier-Journal.

He noted the girl's sister was in the room during the alleged incident and denied the sexual assaults occured.

"Both their hymens were intact," he added. "This is perhaps more specific than people would want, but trust me. If you have been repeatedly sexually violated as a small child by an adult, there are going to be repercussions of that physically and medically."

KENTUCKY REPUBLICAN GOV. MATT BEVIN CONCEDES TO DEM ANDY BESHEAR IN REELECTION BID 

In this Nov. 4, 2019, file photo, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin looks out at the crowd during a campaign rally with President Donald Trump in Lexington, Ky. Bevin, who lost to Democrat Andy Beshear last month in a close race, is being criticized for comments he made during a Thursday radio interview about pardoning a man convicted of raping a young child. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

Prosecutors opposed to the pardon blasted Bevin for his comments on the case.

“He obviously did not do any research on this matter or he would know that only 2 percent of sexual assault victims show any visible physical injury as a result of the rapes that they’ve suffered,” said Rob Sanders, prosecutor in Kenton County who put Schoettle away. “This is the kind of foolish ignorance that prosecutors have been working for decades to overcome.”

Kentucky's former chief medical examiner Dr. George Nichols said Bevin's comments were factually inaccurate.

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“Rape is not proved by hymen penetration,” he told the newspaper. “Rape is proved by phallic penetration ... where the vaginal lips meet the outer surface of the vagina."

“He not only doesn’t know the law, in my humble opinion, he clearly doesn’t know medicine and anatomy,” he added.

Bevin, a Republican, pardoned 428 people, including some violent offenders, between when he lost his re-election bid on Nov. 5 and his final day in office on Dec. 9. The pardons have prompted an investigation by Sanders' office.

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The probe is expected to look into whether Schoettle's pardon is connected to his family's wealth and political connections.

Several of Bevin's other pardons have also drawn rebuke. The pardon of Patrick Baker, who was convicted of murder and other crimes, was also criticized. His family held a political fundraiser for Bevin last year that raised $21,500. Two others charged alongside Baker for the murder of Donald Mills are still in prison.

Fox News' Morgan Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this report.