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Culture > News

A Kentucky State Representative Accused of Molesting a Teenage Girl Dies From ‘Probable Suicide’

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Kristen Perrone

After refusing to resign amid accusations that he molested a teenage girl, Kentucky State Rep. Dan Johnson has died from a “probable suicide,” Louisville news network WDRB reports. According to Bullitt County Sheriff Donnie Tinnell, Johnson, 57, shot himself on a bridge in Mt. Washington, Kentucky, on Wednesday night.

Earlier on Wednesday, Johnson posted a now-removed message to his Facebook page, writing, “The accusations from NPR are false. God and only God knows the truth…America will not survive this type of judge and jury fake news.” Johnson also referenced his love for his family, the 9/11 attacks and “PTSD 24/7,” writing, “16 years is a sickness that will take my life, I cannot handle it any longer. It has won this life. But heaven is my home.”

Johnson, a Republican, recently gained attention from various state leaders, who called for his resignation after the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting (KyCIR) published allegations on Monday of Johnson sexually abusing his daughter’s then-17-year-old friend, The Washington Post reports. The Kentucky House Democrats released a statement saying that Johnson’s alleged actions “demand resignation,” while Kentucky Republicans also called for Johnson to step down. 

KyCIR’s report consists of a seven-month investigation including more than 100 interviews suggesting that Johnson’s public facade has masked his ties to “sexual abuse, arson and false testimony.”

Johnson’s unidentified victim, now 21 and a member of his church, claimed that he was like a “second dad” to her and that she knew of risque parties Johnson often threw at a hall next to his Heart of Fire Church known as the “Pope’s House.” After a New Year’s Eve party in January 2013, the girl was having a sleepover with Johnson’s daughter, and she helped a drunk Johnson climb stairs. During the exchange, the politician allegedly slipped his hand up her shirt. Waking up on a couch later that night, the victim saw Johnson above her, later reporting that he groped her, forcibly tried to kiss her and inserted his fingers into her vagina. The victim then pled with Johnson to go away as much as she could without waking his daughter, and he eventually retreated. 

At a press conference on Tuesday, Johnson confirmed his connection to the victim, saying, “I don’t want to blast this girl. I have a lot of compassion for her. I’m very sorrowful that she’s in this dark place in her life.” However, according to the Louisville Courier Journal, he said he believed that her allegations were politically motivated. “This allegation concerning this lady, this young girl, absolutely has no merit,” he said. “These are unfounded accusations, totally. This is an assault on all real people, there’s no perfect people and you get into office and, all of a sudden, political hacks come against you and start accusing you after you’re in office.”

At the same conference, Johnson claimed that he didn’t remember what happened between him and the victim because he was “drugged,” but later said that he did actually recall the night’s events and was never in the same room as the sleeping teenager. 

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin took to Twitter after news of Johnson’s death broke, writing, “These are heavy days in Frankfort and in America…May God indeed shed His grace on us all…We sure need it.”

Johnson was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016.

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Kristen Perrone is a Siena College Class of 2018 alumna. She studied English during her time at Siena.