Camille Johnston, the 46-year-old prosecuting attorney for Ray County, Missouri, has been suspended from her role following allegations that she abused her position by engaging in affairs with three men, one of whom was a suspect in a sexual assault case being handled by her office.
Suspension and Preliminary Order
The Missouri Attorney General's Office, led by Catherine Hanaway, removed Johnston from office after filing a petition claiming she had "forfeited the office of prosecuting attorney" due to "misconduct." A judge swiftly approved a preliminary order suspending Johnston pending an investigation. The Attorney General's Office stated that the allegations create "at the very least, an obvious appearance of a conflict of interest."
Details of the Alleged Affairs
According to court documents and reports from KSHB, Johnston is alleged to have had an affair with Juan David Gutierrez, a suspect in a sexual assault case. The Attorney General's Office alleges that Johnston visited Gutierrez in Mississippi, where he had absconded, and subsequently vacationed with him in Florida. The filing concludes that Johnston knew Gutierrez's whereabouts and deliberately chose not to disclose his location, demonstrating her "obvious conflict of interest" as he was being prosecuted by Ray County. Gutierrez's sexual assault case, originally scheduled for this week, has been postponed until at least September.
A second alleged relationship was with a Ray County lawyer identified by initials "T.T." This attorney "has represented, and continues to represent, numerous criminal defendants against criminal charges filed by Respondent in her role as prosecutor." Court documents indicate that Johnston was required to "disqualify herself, and her office, and seek a special prosecutor in any case in which T.T. was representing a defendant."
In a third case, a former employee of the prosecutor's office claims she was fired after revealing Johnston's relationship with a domestic violence suspect. Johnston is reported to have been disqualified from that case when police became aware of the situation and sought a different prosecutor. She is alleged to have withheld information from the victim, Ray County staff, and the circuit court.
Additional Allegations of Misconduct
Beyond the affairs, Johnston is accused of creating an atmosphere of "fear and tension" in her office through fits of anger and violence. The Missouri Attorney General's Office stated in its filing that it believes Johnston likely committed several crimes through these inappropriate relationships, including acceding to corruption and hindering prosecution.
