Kentucky State Rep. Dan Johnson is dead. Bullitt County Sheriff Donnie Tinnell described the death as a suicide to local station WDRB, apparently brought on by allegations he sexually assualted his daughter’s 17-year-old friend.
Johnson drove his car onto a bridge before putting a gun to his head and ending his life.
According to WDRB, Johnson posted the following message to Facebook before he apparently he set out in the car:
The accusations from NPR are false GOD and only GOD knows the truth, nothing is the way they make it out to be. AMERICA will not survive this type of judge and jury fake news . Conservatives take a stand. I LOVE GOD and I LOVE MY WIFE, who is the best WIFE in the world,My Love Forever ! My Mom and Dad my FAMILY and all five of my kids and Nine grandchildren two in tummies and many more to come each of you or a total gift from GOD stay strong, REBECCA needs YOU . 9-11-2001 NYC/WTC, PTSD 24/7 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. “PLEASE LISTEN CLOSELY, Only Three things I ask of you to do,if you love me is (1)blame no person,Satan is the accuser, so blame the Devil himself. (2) Forgive and Love everyone especially yourself .(3)most importantly LOVE GOD. P.S. I LOVE MY FRIENDS YOU ARE FAMILY ! GOD LOVES ALL PEOPLE NO MATTER WHAT !
The incident stems from reports in local media that Johnson, a local preacher in addition to a politician, stuck his fingers into the vagina of a 17-year-old – Maranda Richmond, now-21 – who attended a church group party at Johnson’s home, where, according to reports, he was known as the “pope” of his church.
The Kentucky Center for Investigative Journalism report’s Richmond’s account of the drunken assault as follows:
That night, she woke after settling in on the sofa. She was groggy, unfocused. But she saw Johnson kneeling above her. He gave her a kiss on the head. She thought it fatherly, nothing out of the ordinary, simply one last goodnight gesture.
Then he started to stroke her arm. He slid his hands up, under her shirt and bra, and groped her. He stuck his tongue in her mouth. Then, he forced his hands down her pants, underneath her underwear, and penetrated her with his finger.
She begged her pastor to stop and tried to force him off, quietly. She remembers not wanting to awaken Sarah. But Johnson was a big man, roughly twice her weight.
He told her she’d like it. She said no, she didn’t. She pleaded with him: go away, go away.
Eventually, he did.
At one point, police reportedly dismissed the report and closed the case.
Several Kentucky political figures sent their condolences over the apparent suicide.
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