Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting (http://kycir.org/tag/the-popes-long-con/)
Heart of Fire was rebuilt through an arson relief program run by the federal government, and now the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has obtained a court order to sell the church.
The winner of the election will fill the vacancy in the 49th House District created by the December 13 death of Dan “Pope” Johnson.
The Republican nominee will compete against Democrat Linda Belcher, who served three terms before Johnson beat her in 2016.
The latest on our investigative series “The Pope’s Long Con.”
Kentucky State Rep. Dan Johnson’s suicide following sexual assault allegations has Frankfort reeling.
State Rep. Dan Johnson committed suicide Wednesday evening, two days after the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting published accusations that he sexually assaulted a minor. Johnson was a preacher from Mt. Washington in Bullitt County. He shot himself on a bridge over the Salt River, according to WDRB. Johnson posted a suicide note on Facebook Wednesday evening calling the accusations false and telling conservatives to “take a stand.”
“AMERICA will not survive this type of judge and jury fake news,” Johnson wrote.
“Pope” Dan Johnson’s refusal to step down amid a molestation investigation has left officials scrambling to examine what actions, if any, they could take to censure or impeach Johnson.
A day after both of Kentucky’s major political parties called for Rep. Dan Johnson to resign amid sexual assault allegations, Gov. Matt Bevin says he’s still reviewing the story and hasn’t formed an opinion on the matter.
The Louisville Metro Police Department is investigating State Rep. Dan Johnson for alleged sexual abuse in his church. Johnson, a freshman lawmaker and pastor of Heart of Fire Church in the Fern Creek neighborhood, allegedly molested a 17-year-old girl on Jan. 1, 2013. Police initially opened an investigation in April 2013, but closed it months later without ever interviewing Johnson, documents show. Johnson, while refusing calls for his resignation from leaders of both political parties, denied the sexual abuse allegation in a press conference Tuesday morning.
Kentucky Rep. Dan Johnson refused to resign Tuesday morning and said an allegation that he sexually assaulted a teenager “has no merit.”