Missouri's attorney general has moved to remove a rural county prosecutor accused of carrying on a romantic relationship with an illegal immigrant facing felony sex charges, and that is only one of three improper relationships alleged in the state's petition.
Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed a petition for quo warranto, a legal action that challenges a public official's right to hold office, against Ray County Prosecutor Camille Johnston, accusing her of a yearslong pattern of conflicts of interest, concealment, and retaliation. A judge granted a preliminary order barring Johnston from exercising any authority as prosecutor while the case moves forward, effectively removing her from office for now.
The allegations stretch back before Johnston even took office on January 1, 2023, and center on her relationship with Juan David Gutierrez, a Mexican citizen who the petition says has been illegally present in the United States since 2019. Gutierrez is currently awaiting trial on felony sexual offense charges in Ray County. Fox News Digital reported that the petition identifies Gutierrez only as "J.G.," but the AG's office named him publicly.
The petition lays out a damning timeline. Johnston was informed as early as September 15, 2020, that Gutierrez was a suspect in a Ray County sexual assault, years before she became the county's top prosecutor. She and Gutierrez had lived together and been involved in a romantic and intimate relationship before she took office.
After the Missouri State Highway Patrol turned its findings over to the attorney general's office in 2020, authorities could not locate Gutierrez. The AG's office ultimately declined prosecution and closed the case in 2022.
But the case did not stay closed. In 2023, then-Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers emailed the attorney general's office after a private investigator doing volunteer cold-case work flagged the Gutierrez matter. Childers passed along information that could help locate the suspect.
Johnston, the petition alleges, already knew where Gutierrez was. She visited him in Mississippi after he left Missouri and vacationed with him in Florida. In 2023, the same year she became prosecutor, she transferred the title to her own vehicle to him. The AG's office says Johnston admitted she knew Gutierrez's immigration status for several years.
Put plainly: the woman responsible for prosecuting crimes in Ray County allegedly helped a man accused of a sexual offense leave the jurisdiction, shielded his location from law enforcement, and handed him her car, all while holding or preparing to hold the office that was supposed to bring him to justice.
Gutierrez was not the only entanglement. The petition describes two additional romantic relationships that created conflicts of interest inside Johnston's office.
First, Johnston allegedly carried on a romantic relationship with a Ray County defense attorney who represented criminal defendants in cases her office prosecuted. She failed to disclose the relationship or seek a special prosecutor in those cases, the petition states.
Second, she allegedly had a romantic relationship with a man charged in a domestic-violence case. Local law enforcement eventually learned of that relationship and sought a special prosecutor. Johnston was disqualified from the case, but only after the conflict came to light through outside action, not her own disclosure.
In each instance, the petition says, Johnston recognized the impropriety but continued the conduct, withheld information about the relationships, and "falsely denied the existence" of the compromising relationships when questioned.
The misconduct allegations extend beyond personal relationships. The petition accuses Johnston of "knowingly creating" an atmosphere of fear and intimidation inside the Ray County Prosecuting Attorney's Office by verbally berating staff and employees.
When one employee learned about a relationship that could pose a conflict of interest, Johnston allegedly fired that person in retaliation. The petition does not name the employee.
Hanaway did not mince words about the gravity of the allegations. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the attorney general framed the case as a fundamental breach of public trust.
"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 continued, describing what she called a sustained record of willful neglect.
"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."
The AG's office confirmed that Johnston "is not allowed to take any actions in any official capacity" and that "at this time, she is no longer Ray County Prosecuting Attorney." Hanaway's office said it stands by the allegations in the petition but could not comment on the possibility of criminal charges involving Johnston.
Chad Gardner, Johnston's attorney, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Johnston retains the legal right to fight for reinstatement as the quo warranto proceedings continue, but for now, she holds no prosecutorial power.
Gutierrez's criminal case, meanwhile, is currently charged but on hold pending an appeal in another matter. The specific felony sexual offense charges he faces have not been publicly detailed in the petition.
Hanaway, who was appointed attorney general by Governor Mike Kehoe and announced in the role on August 19, 2025, has made the case a priority. A local court previously appointed the AG's office to prosecute the Gutierrez sexual assault case after the earlier closure.
Ray County sits in rural northwest Missouri, the kind of small community where residents depend on a handful of elected officials to keep the justice system honest. The allegations against Johnston describe a prosecutor who, by the AG's account, spent years doing the opposite, shielding a suspect, concealing conflicts, and punishing anyone inside her office who noticed.
Three separate romantic entanglements with individuals connected to criminal cases in her own jurisdiction. A vehicle title transferred to a man she allegedly knew was an illegal immigrant and a sex-crime suspect. An employee fired for knowing too much. And through it all, repeated denials.
The people of Ray County elected a prosecutor. What they got, if the AG's petition holds up, was someone who treated the office as a personal resource, for relationships, for cover, and for retaliation against anyone who asked questions.
Public trust is not a renewable resource. Once a prosecutor spends it protecting suspects instead of victims, no reinstatement hearing can buy it back.
