Fire that destroyed home of Moore accuser probed as arson

The Alabama home of Tina Johnson, who accused former U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore of groping her, was destroyed Tuesday in a fire that is being investigated as an act of arson.

Johnson’s house on Lake Mary Louise Road in Gadsden caught fire Tuesday morning, according to AL.com. Johnson and her husband were at work at the time and her grandson was at school.

“I am devastated, just devastated,” Johnson told AL.com on Friday. “We have just the clothes on our backs.”

Johnson is among several women who came forward in November with stories of questionable behavior or alleged sexual misconduct by Moore, the failed Republican candidate for the Senate in Alabama.

On Nov. 9, the Washington Post published detailed allegations that Moore pursued relationships with teenage girls, including a 14-year-old when he was 32. Since the publication, other women — including Johnson — stepped forward to make similar accusations. Moore has denied the allegations.

Johnson told AL.com in November that during a visit to Moore’s office in 1991, when she was 28, he made several inappropriate comments and then groped her as she was leaving. Moore was 44 and married at the time.

By the time the fire was extinguished Friday, all of Johnson’s and her family’s belongings were destroyed, according to AL.com.

Etowah County Sheriff ’s Department said it is interrogating a suspect, but no charges have been filed.