A guilty conscience? Or the first casualty in the war on sexual harassment?

Kentucky state representative Dan Johnson, who had been accused of molesting a 17-year-old girl in 2012, committed suicide yesterday by shooting himself to death.

Bullitt County Sheriff Donnie Tinnell said Johnson drove onto the bridge over the Salt River on Greenwell Ford Road in Mt. Washington, parked on the north side of it and shot himself in front of his car. His body was found on the bank of the river, just past the bridge.

He left a suicide note on his Facebook page:

The accusations from NPR are false GOD and only GOD knows the truth, nothing is the way they make it out to be. AMERICA will not survive this type of judge and jury fake news . Conservatives take a stand. I LOVE GOD and I LOVE MY WIFE, who is the best WIFE in the world,My Love Forever ! My Mom and Dad my FAMILY and all five of my kids and Nine grandchildren two in tummies and many more to come each of you or a total gift from GOD stay strong, REBECCA needs YOU . 9-11-2001 NYC/WTC, PTSD 24/7 16 years is a sickness that will take my life, I cannot handle it any longer. IT Has Won This Life . BUT HEAVEN IS MY HOME. “PLEASE LISTEN CLOSELY, Only Three things I ask of you to do,if you love me is (1)blame no person,Satan is the accuser, so blame the Devil himself. (2) Forgive and Love everyone especially yourself .(3)most importantly LOVE GOD. P.S. I LOVE MY FRIENDS YOU ARE FAMILY ! GOD LOVES ALL PEOPLE NO MATTER WHAT !

Make of that what you will.

On Tuesday, Johnson held a press conference at his church on Bardstown Road, where he denied the molestation allegations. According to court documents obtained by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, the alleged molestation took place on New Year's Eve in 2012. The alleged victim, who was 17 at the time, told authorities that she was staying in a living area of the Heart of Fire City Church where Johnson was pastor, when Johnson, who had been drinking a lot, approached her, kissed her and fondled her under her clothes. 

Michael Skoler, the president of Louisville Public Media, which owns the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, released a statement after Johnson's death:

"All of us at Louisville Public Media are deeply sad to hear that State Representative Dan Johnson has died, apparently of suicide. We grieve for his family, friends, church community and constituents.

Our Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting released a report on Johnson this week. Our aim, as always, is to provide the public with fact-based, unbiased reporting and hold public officials accountable for their actions.

As part of our process, we reached out to Representative Johnson numerous times over the course of a seven-month investigation. He declined requests to talk about our findings."

Johnson was never criminally charged. 

In this hysterical atmosphere, an accusation alone is enough to ruin someone's life.  This is not to say Johnson is innocent of the accusation – he may well be guilty.  But something is very, very wrong when an accused is charged, tried, and convicted in the media while his denials are ignored.

In Johnson's case, there is no context in which the actions of which he is accused can be justified or misunderstood.  But the same is not true when two adults are alone in the same room.  What is "inappropriate"?  What is "assault" or "harassment"?  These are questions a jury would have a difficult time deciding after days or weeks of testimony.  But we don't need a jury these days – only accusers, many who wish to remain anonymous, and a media willing to fan the flames of scandal, which, as any five-year-old could tell you, sells. 

Salem II?  It's the very same mindset that led to innocent people being burned to death.  Can we address the real and serious problem of sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace without the media becoming judge, jury, and executioner?  Not when it plays into so many juicy narratives, including the feminist "all men are pigs" narrative and social justice warriors whose scattershot approach to proving a "rape culture" exists on campus and elsewhere has opened the door to these media star chamber proceedings.

There is not only a demand that all women be believed when accusing men, but also no credible defense a man can mount to protect himself.  It is not a question of "he said, she said," but rather "she said, sit down, and shut up." 

Johnson may be a victim or a pervert.  The real story is that while we'll never know for sure, his conviction on social media and in the press has already had its way with him.