Prosecutor ousted after alleged romance with illegal immigrant sex-crime suspect: 'Pattern of misconduct'
A Missouri county prosecutor has been stripped of her authority after the state attorney general accused her of carrying on a series of improper relationships with people tied to criminal cases in her county, including an illegal immigrant defendant facing sex crime charges.
A petition for quo warranto filed by the state's attorney general accuses Ray County Prosecutor Camille Johnston of failing to recuse herself from the investigation involving the illegal immigrant, Juan David Gutierrez, failing to disclose his whereabouts to law enforcement and transferring him the title to her vehicle to help him abscond. The filing also alleges Johnston had other improper relationships that posed conflicts of interest, including with a criminal defense attorney and a man charged in a domestic-violence case in Ray County.
Meanwhile, the AG's petition against Johnston, which prompted a judge to grant a preliminary order barring her from exercising authority as prosecutor until the case is resolved, alleged Johnston retaliated against an employee who discovered one relationship and created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation inside her office.
"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," Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway told Fox News Digital 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."
Hanaway’s office told Fox News Digital that Johnston is "not allowed to take any actions in any official capacity" and, while she can fight for reinstatement as the proceedings continue, "at this time, she is no longer Ray County Prosecuting Attorney." The AG’s office also confirmed that the sexual-violence suspect identified as "J.G." in the petition is Juan David Gutierrez, whose case is currently charged but on hold pending an appeal in another matter.
Johnston "failed to recuse during the investigation" of the underlying sexual assault case involving Gutierrez, Hanaway’s office said, noting a local court later appointed the Missouri Attorney General’s Office to prosecute the case.
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According to the petition, Johnston and Gutierrez had lived together and had been involved in a romantic and intimate relationship before she took office as Ray County prosecutor on Jan. 1, 2023. The filing says Johnston was informed as early as Sept. 15, 2020, that Gutierrez was a suspect in a Ray County sexual assault, adding he is currently awaiting trial for felony sexual offenses.
Local outlet KSHB reported that the Missouri Highway Patrol said authorities had not found Gutierrez when the Missouri State Highway Patrol turned over its findings to the attorney general's office in 2020, and that the attorney general's office later declined prosecution and closed the case in 2022. However, according to KSHB, the case was revived after a private investigator doing volunteer cold-case work later flagged the case to then-Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers, who emailed the attorney general's office in 2023 about information that could help locate Gutierrez.
The AG’s office separately told Fox News Digital that Johnston admitted she knew Gutierrez’s immigration status for several years. The petition alleges Gutierrez is a citizen of Mexico who had been illegally present in the U.S. since 2019.
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The petition also alleges Johnston knew Gutierrez’s whereabouts after he left Missouri, failed to disclose that information to law enforcement, visited him in Mississippi and vacationed with him in Florida. It accuses Johnston of transferring the title to her vehicle to Gutierrez in 2023 as well, and claims she "assisted" him in absconding from Ray County while knowing he had been accused of a sexual offense and was under criminal investigation.
Johnston’s attorney, Chad Gardner, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Local reporting previously identified Gardner as Johnston’s attorney.
In addition to Johnston's relationship with Gutierrez, the petition also accuses Johnston of maintaining a romantic relationship with a Ray County defense attorney who represented criminal defendants in cases prosecuted by her office, while allegedly failing to disclose the relationship or seek a special prosecutor in those cases.
The petition separately alleges Johnston had another romantic relationship with a man charged in a domestic-violence case and was later disqualified from prosecuting that case after local law enforcement learned of the alleged relationship and sought a special prosecutor.
Meanwhile, besides the improper relationships, Johnston allegedly "knowingly created" an atmosphere of fear and intimidation inside the Ray County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office by verbally berating staff and employees. The filing further alleges that a former employee learned Johnston was in a romantic relationship that could pose a conflict of interest, and that Johnston retaliated by firing the employee after learning they were aware of the relationship.
In each of the alleged relationships, the petition says Johnston recognized the impropriety but continued the conduct, withheld information about the relationships and "falsely denied the existence" of the allegedly compromising relationships when questioned.
Hanaway’s office said it stands by the allegations in the petition but could not comment on the possibility of criminal charges involving Johnston.