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Kentucky lawmaker killed himself after sexual assault allegations

Click to play video: 'Kentucky lawmaker accused of assault dies in apparent suicide'
Kentucky lawmaker accused of assault dies in apparent suicide
WATCH ABOVE: Kentucky lawmaker accused of assault dies in apparent suicide – Dec 14, 2017

A Republican lawmaker in Kentucky facing sexual assault allegations has killed himself.

Bullitt County Sheriff Donnie Tinnell says Rep. Dan Johnson shot himself Wednesday on a bridge in Mount Washington, Kentucky. Tinnell confirmed the death to WDRB-TV in Louisville.

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.

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Johnson told reporters Tuesday the accusations were “totally false.” He posted a message on Facebook Monday night saying that PTSD was “is a sickness that will take my life, I cannot handle it any longer. It has won this life, BUT HEAVEN IS MY HOME.”

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