Wife of Kentucky State Rep. Dan Johnson wants to replace him in the legislature

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The wife of a Kentucky State Rep. Dan Johnson said the day after he took his life that she will seek to replace him in the state legislature.

Rebecca Johnson made the announcement in a release to the Associated Press. David Adams, a political operative who worked for Dan Johnson, confirmed Rebecca Johnson's intentions. In the release, Rebecca Johnson referred to her husband's death as a "high-tech lynching based on lies and half-truths."

"I really don't know her that much, and I don't know if she could handle the job in the first place," said James Lee, who lives in Bullitt County.

Dan Johnson took his own life Wednesday night in a rural area on Greenwell Ford Road in Mount Washington. Coroner Dave Billings said Dan Johnson killed himself with a single gunshot wound to the head. Earlier this week, a report published by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting alleged that Dan Johnson sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl in 2013. Police had investigated the matter but did not file charges. The story prompted police to re-open the investigation.

Toxicology reports for Dan Johnson won't be back for a few weeks. But Billings said he's not expecting it'll show any alcohol or drugs.

"My heart goes out to the Johnson family," Billings said. "No matter what the situation, they lost a dad, a husband, someone they admired and looked up to."

A day before his death, Dan Johnson had called the accusations levied against him "totally false."

"I pray it wasn't true," said Tom McCullough, who lives in Bullitt County. "And if it did happen, (I pray) for that young lady to get peace and his family."

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