Woman Who Reported Dead Husband Indicted

A Highway 1812 woman is under indictment after the Breathitt County Grand Jury believed she falsely reported that her husband had been shot.

Ina G. Johnson, 48, of Vancleve, called the Kentucky State Police 911 Center in Hazard on May 8, 2025, and reported that her husband, Virgil L. Johnson, had been shot through the window by an unknown “prowler” and was dead.

When police officers arrived on the scene, they found her report to be false.

She was indicted on one count of Falsely Reporting an Incident that caused an emergency response and one count of Unlawful Imprisonment in the First Degree after she “restrained a minor, exposing her to a risk of serious physical injury.”

The Grand Jury also indicted Johnson on four counts of Wanton Endangerment in the First Degree after she discharged a firearm into the wall of her residence while four individuals were inside, “creating substantial danger of death or serious physical injury.”

Trooper Kevin Day provided details of the incident to the Grand Jury, which found enough evidence to indict Johnson on the charges after the case was forwarded from Breathitt District Court.

 Johnson’s bail was set at $5,000 pending her appearance in Breathitt Circuit Court to answer to the charges.  She remains at large as of press time, with an active arrest warrant.