Rare Contributor
Roy Moore accuser Tina Johnson’s home burned down Jan. 2, and police have opened an arson investigation into the incident, according to reports.
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Johnson accused the former judge and United States Senate candidate of groping her in his office in the early 1990s, saying that he grabbed her buttocks so hard that it was almost like “fondling.”
The Etowah County Arson Task Force is investigating the devastating blaze, which started in Johnson’s Gadsen, Alabama, home early Tuesday morning.
Neighbors and utility workers called 911 just after 8 a.m. Tuesday, and Lookout Mountain Fire Department responded to the scene, but by the time the flames were extinguished, Johnson had lost everything.
“I am devastated, just devastated,” said Johnson on Friday morning. “We have just the clothes on our backs.”
No one was hurt by the blaze, according to AL.com. Johnson and her husband were at work, and her grandson was at school when the fire started.
“That fire is still under investigation by the Etowah County Arson Task Force,” said Natalie Barton, public information officer for the Etowah County Sheriff’s Department. “A suspect of interest is being spoken to. But there have been no charges, to my knowledge, related to the fire at this time.”
“The ongoing investigation does not lead us to believe that the fire is in any way related to Roy Moore or allegations made against him. More details will be released when warrants are obtained,” Baron added later in a statement.
Johnson’s neighbors said they saw a young man known for public intoxication around the house before the fire started.
“He’s been trouble in the neighborhood for a while,” said Kevin Tallant, one of Johnson’s neighbors.
Another unnamed neighbor said that the young man approached her car and asked if she thought Johnson’s house was going to burn. She said she didn’t know what he was talking about at the time because no flames were visible.
Johnson and her family are currently staying a motel.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Johnson and her family, and so far, nearly $96,000 has been raised, far surpassing the $40,000 goal.
