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Rep. Johnson's Wife Says She Will Seek His Seat in Legislature

J. Tyler Franklin/WFPL News

The wife of a Republican lawmaker in Kentucky who killed himself after accusations he sexually assaulted a teenage girl says she will seek to replace him in the state legislature. 

Rebecca Johnson made the announcement in a news release sent to The Associated Press. Dan Johnson killed himself Wednesday night.

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."

The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting published a storyearlier this week detailing accusations that 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. Dan Johnson had called the accusations "totally false."'

This story will be updated.

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