Lawmaker Accused of Assault Dead, Possible Suicide

A Republican lawmaker in Kentucky facing sexual assault allegations has died of an apparent suicide.

Bullitt County Coroner Dave Billings says Rep. Dan Johnson died from a single gunshot Wednesday night on Greenwell Ford Road in Mount Washington, Kentucky. Billings said Johnson stopped his car at the end of a bridge in a secluded area and got out. Billings says it was "probably suicide." He said an autopsy is scheduled for Thursday morning.

The 57-year-old Johnson was elected to the state legislature in 2016. On Monday, the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting published an account from a woman saying Johnson sexually assaulted her in the basement of his home in 2013. Louisville police investigated the matter but closed the case and did not file charges.

Johnson told reporters Tuesday the accusations were "totally false."