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Arson investigators looking into fire at Roy Moore accuser's home

Investigation not related to Moore, allegations
Posted at 7:08 PM, Jan 05, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-05 19:08:38-05

A home belonging woman who accused Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct caught fire Tuesday, and an arson investigation has been opened, according to AL.com.

In November, Tina Johnson of Gadsden, Alabama claimed that Moore grabbed her buttocks in his law office in 1991 when she was 28 years old. Johnson was just one of a number of women who came forward during the Alabama Senate race to accuse Moore of sexual misconduct.

Neighbors and utility workers called 911 on Tuesday to report that Johnson's house had caught fire. Johnson and her husband were at work at the time and Johnson's grandson was at school. No injuries were reported.

According to AL.com, a public information officer with the Etowah County Sheriff's Department, the investigation is not "In any way related to Roy Moore or the allegations made against him."

Johnson and her neighbor claim they saw a man with a history of public intoxication hanging around the home prior to the fire. The man reportedly approached a second neighbor and asked her if she thought the Johnson house was going to burn.

According to CBS News, local authorities are speaking with a suspect related to the case.

Moore was the heavy favorite to win the Alabama Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions until the Washington Post reported that Moore had inappropriately touched young teenaged girls while he was in his 30s. Moore defeated by Democrat Doug Jones in December.

Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.