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Roy Moore accuser's Gadsden home burns; arson investigation underway
www.al.com ^ | Updated 4:16 PM; Posted 2:15 PM | By Anna Claire Vollers

Posted on 01/05/2018 2:21:42 PM PST by Red Badger

Roy Moore accuser Tina Johnson lost her home Tuesday in a fire that is now under investigation by the Etowah County Arson Task Force.

Tina Johnson, who first came to public notice for accusing Senate candidate Roy Moore of grabbing her in his office in the early 1990s, said her home on Lake Mary Louise Road in Gadsden caught fire Tuesday morning.

After neighbors and some utility workers called 911 shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday, the Lookout Mountain Fire Department responded to the scene. By the time the flames were extinguished, Johnson and her family had lost everything they owned.

"I am devastated, just devastated," said Johnson on Friday morning. "We have just the clothes on our backs."

Nobody appears to have been harmed in the blaze; Johnson and her husband were at work, and her grandson was at school.

"That fire is still under investigation by the Etowah County Arson Task Force," said Natalie Barton, public information officer with 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."

Barton later released a statement, saying, "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."

According to Johnson and neighbor Kevin Tallant, other neighbors witnessed a young man who had a history of public intoxication walking around the house before and during the blaze.

"He's been trouble in the neighborhood for a while," said Tallant, who lives across the street from Johnson and her family. He got a call from another neighbor that morning who said smoke was coming from the home and that somebody might be inside.

"I threw on my coveralls and took off down the driveway," he said. His wife called 911 at 8:26 a.m. but the dispatcher said they'd already received a call about the fire. "I got up there," he said, "and (the fire) was already pretty well started. When the fire department got there, I started helping them."

Johnson said she has not yet heard from law enforcement how or why the fire started, except that it started at the back of the house.

She said a woman neighbor told her that the young man in question approached her as she was getting in her car that morning and asked if she thought Johnson's house was going to burn. The neighbor didn't know what he was talking about, she said, because flames weren't visible at the time.

Johnson and her family are currently living in a motel. On Friday morning, she was headed to Wal-Mart to purchase toiletries and other necessities. She said she is thankful for good neighbors, who have rallied around the family.

"My neighbors are just heartbroken, too," she said. "They're pulling together and helping us out."

Tallant said the Johnsons are good neighbors. He'd been over at her house recently, sharing some turnip greens.

"She's a super good neighbor," he said. "I like people like that. I hope they build back there."

Updated 1/5/2018 to include additional statements from the Etowah County Sheriff's Department.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; US: Alabama
KEYWORDS: bannnon; roymoore; senate; tinajohnson; trump
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Tina Johnson's home on Lake Mary Louise Road in Gadsden burned on Jan. 2, 2018. The Etowah County Arson Task Force is investigating, and the sheriff's department has spoken with a "suspect of interest." (Submitted)

1 posted on 01/05/2018 2:21:42 PM PST by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

Reward for doing the Devil’s deeds and lying about an innocent man.


2 posted on 01/05/2018 2:24:01 PM PST by InsidiousMongo
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To: Red Badger

Her flaming pants must have ignited the fire.


3 posted on 01/05/2018 2:24:02 PM PST by rfp1234 (I have already previewed this composition.)
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To: Red Badger

Karma is not a nice lady.


4 posted on 01/05/2018 2:24:57 PM PST by MeganC (There is nothing feminine about feminism.)
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To: Red Badger

Countdown to media blaming Chief Justice Moore for personally starting the fire...


5 posted on 01/05/2018 2:25:05 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj ("It's Slappin' Time !")
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To: InsidiousMongo

I wonder if it was insured?.......................


6 posted on 01/05/2018 2:26:07 PM PST by Red Badger (Road Rage lasts 5 minutes. Road Rash lasts 5 months!.....................)
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To: Red Badger

7 posted on 01/05/2018 2:28:20 PM PST by Bobalu (12 diet Cokes and a fried chicken...)
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To: Red Badger

I have to say that some of the comments above are disturbing. Since when do FReepers celebrate crime even when perpetrated against those we disagree with? If this is in fact arson I hope the perp is locked up for life.


8 posted on 01/05/2018 2:28:44 PM PST by NRx (A man of integrity passes his father's civilization to his son, without selling it off to strangers.)
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To: Red Badger

Awaiting the imminent set up of one or more “Go-Fund-Me” pages that will collect funds more valuable than actual losses incurred.


9 posted on 01/05/2018 2:29:05 PM PST by House Atreides (BOYCOTT the NFL, its products and players 100% - PERMANENTLY)
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To: Red Badger

Where I used to live, we also had a neighborhood drunk. He used to walk around shirtless with a beer in his hand.

I was always real nice to him. So he never broke into my place.

Others however-were not so lucky.


10 posted on 01/05/2018 2:30:56 PM PST by Responsibility2nd (R2: Proudly intruding since 1958)
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To: NRx

Well said. This may be a criminal act.


11 posted on 01/05/2018 2:31:04 PM PST by rrrod (just an old guy with a gun in his pocke)
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To: Red Badger

Sorry...no sympathy here!


12 posted on 01/05/2018 2:31:22 PM PST by Gay State Conservative (Remember: All Cultures Are Equal!)
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To: Red Badger

My gut tells me this is an “insurance” fire.


13 posted on 01/05/2018 2:33:08 PM PST by Sacajaweau
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Comment #14 Removed by Moderator

To: Bobalu
Yes, most likely something along those lines.

Excellent  ;-)

15 posted on 01/05/2018 2:34:56 PM PST by tomkat
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To: InsidiousMongo

Instant Karma.


16 posted on 01/05/2018 2:37:34 PM PST by JayGalt (Let Trump Be Trump)
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To: Bobalu
Fire girl all grown up...


17 posted on 01/05/2018 2:39:02 PM PST by EEGator
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To: Responsibility2nd
Where I used to live, we also had a neighborhood drunk. He used to walk around shirtless with a beer in his hand. I was always real nice to him. So he never broke into my place. Others however-were not so lucky.

No shirt? Drunk? I think I must have seen him on "Cops."

18 posted on 01/05/2018 2:39:56 PM PST by Maceman (We need a temporary ban on Muslims just until churches and synagogues can be built in Mecca.)
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To: NRx

Going with the karma thing. Her lies destroyed someone’s life.


19 posted on 01/05/2018 2:40:50 PM PST by JerryBlackwell (some animals are more equal than others)
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To: Sacajaweau
"My gut tells me this is an “insurance” fire."

First thing that came to my mind too.

20 posted on 01/05/2018 2:43:15 PM PST by mass55th (Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway...John Wayne)
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