A Missouri state prosecutor has been yanked from office after allegedly engaging in sexual relations with a criminal defense attorney whose clients she was prosecuting, a prospective defendant accused of domestic abuse, and an illegal alien facing prosecution for sexual assault.
A judge for the Circuit Court of Ray County issued an order on July 17 barring Camille Johnston on a preliminary basis “from engaging in any activity, or exercising any authority, as the Prosecuting Attorney of Ray County.”
‘Removal isn’t a suggestion; it’s a necessity.’
In addition to stripping Johnston of her power, the judge prohibited her from entering the Ray County Courthouse and the prosecutor’s office unless and until the court says otherwise.
The order was issued in response to the quo warranto petition filed by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway (R), which painted Johnston — who has held that elected position since Jan. 1, 2023 — in a particularly unflattering light, accusing her of engaging “in willful acts of misconduct, malfeasance, misfeasance, and nonfeasance.”
For starters, the petition alleges that Johnston has been engaged in an “intimate and romantic relationship” with a criminal defense attorney in the county — a relationship that she allegedly hid from individuals she has prosecuted, the judicial officers before whom she and her supposed lover appeared, and the general public.
Hanaway’s filing noted that this alleged relationship created “at the very least, an obvious appearance of a conflict of interest.” It is, however, not the most scandalous affair detailed in the petition.
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The petition alleges that Johnston also had a fling with a prospective defendant who was charged with acts of domestic violence against his wife — and that Johnston fired a female employee who became aware of the affair.
Johnston didn’t bother notifying the court, her employees, or the victim of her ties to the would-be defendant even when poised to prosecute him, claimed the petition. She was, however, eventually disqualified when local law enforcement learned of the alleged relationship.
The state prosecutor’s list of alleged conquests included more than just the accused wife-beater and the defense attorney.
According to the petition, Johnston allegedly lived for a time with an illegal alien from Mexico who she knew had stolen into the country in 2019.
In September 2020, Johnston was informed by members of local law enforcement as well as by the Missouri State Highway Patrol that the Mexican national — identified by KSHB-TV as Juan David Gutierrez — was a suspect in a sexual assault case.
Gutierrez has been charged with one count of first-degree sodomy or attempted sodomy and one count of second-degree sodomy.
“Again, [Johnston] willfully failed to fulfill her responsibility to seek her disqualification from the investigation and prosecution of J.G.’s case because of her conflict of interest,” said the petition.
The petition alleges further that Johnston deliberately failed to disclose the Mexican national’s location, later traveled to Florida to vacation with him, and declined to bring any criminal charges because of their relationship. She even allegedly gave him the title to her truck “so he could abscond and with the knowledge that he would likely return to his native country of Mexico to avoid detection and apprehension.”
In addition to accusing Johnston of felony hindrance of prosecution and felony accession to corruption, the petition accuses her of creating “an atmosphere of fear and tension within the office of Ray County Prosecuting Attorney by her outbursts of anger and violence, causing her staff to be fearful and afraid whenever [she] was in the office.”
Johnston’s attorney, Chad Gardner, told KSHB that they do not have a public statement due to pending litigation. Johnston has until Sunday to respond to Hanaway’s petition.
“When an elected official treats public office like their personal playground, betraying the public trust, ignoring legal obligations, and putting self-interest first, removal isn’t a suggestion; it’s a necessity,” Hanaway said in a statement.
“Johnston’s record reflects a sustained pattern of misconduct and willful neglect that has undermined the integrity of the prosecutor’s office and poses a serious threat to public safety,” continued the state attorney general. “In Missouri, public office is public trust, not a personal entitlement, and no one is above accountability.”
Hanaway’s office took action after receiving a number of complaints about Johnston and her office earlier in the year, reported KSHB.
Judge Kevin Walden of Missouri’s 8th Circuit Court has appointed Ray County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Tara Medlin to serve as interim prosecuting attorney.
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