Ray County Prosecutor Camille Johnston has been removed from her position following allegations of multiple misconducts, including affairs with three men that created significant conflicts of interest, according to Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway. A judge approved Hanaway's petition to oust Johnston on Thursday.
Court documents filed by Hanaway allege that Johnston compromised the integrity of her office during her three and a half years in the role. The most serious accusation involves an affair with a former live-in boyfriend, identified in court papers as J.G., a Mexican national who had been in the U.S. illegally since 2019. Johnston's office was reportedly probing J.G. for sexual assault allegations from 2019.
According to the petition, Johnston not only failed to recuse herself from the investigation into J.G. but also allegedly assisted him in evading law enforcement. In 2023, she reportedly drove to Mississippi, where he was hiding, gave him her car, and provided the vehicle's title. Court papers also claim Johnston took a vacation with J.G. to Florida.
J.G. was apprehended in Ohio in 2024 and is awaiting trial for alleged sexual assault. The attorney general's filing states Johnston kept her relationship with J.G. secret from the victim, law enforcement, and her staff, and did not bring criminal charges due to their relationship. She was eventually disqualified from his case.
Local outlet KSHB reported that the details in Hanaway's petition regarding Johnston's relationship with J.G. align with their previous reporting in September about the prosecutor's relationship with a man named Juan David Gutierrez, who was arrested for an alleged sexual assault in 2019.
In addition to the affair with J.G., Johnston is accused of having two other inappropriate relationships while in office. One was with a defense attorney, identified as T.T. in court documents, who represented defendants in cases prosecuted by Johnston's office. The filing alleges that Johnston should have disclosed this relationship and sought a special prosecutor when they were on opposing sides of a case.
The third alleged affair was with a married domestic violence suspect, referred to as C.W. in court papers. Court documents claim that a police officer discovered this relationship and requested a special prosecutor. The petition also states that Johnston fired an employee from her office who confronted her about her relationship with C.W.
"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.
"In Missouri, public office is public trust, not a personal entitlement, and no one is above accountability."
Johnston's attorney, Chad Gardner, did not respond to requests for comment.