A prosecutor has been stripped of his powers after an alleged affair with a defendant who is an illegal immigrant

A Missouri state prosecutor has been disbarred after a state attorney accused him of conducting a series of inappropriate relationships with people arrested on criminal charges in his state, including an illegal immigrant defendant facing sex charges.

A quo warranto petition filed by the state’s Attorney General accuses Ray County Prosecutor, Camille Johnston, of failing to withdraw from an investigation involving illegal immigrant, Juan David Gutierrez, by failing to disclose his whereabouts to law enforcement and transfer the title to his vehicle to help him escape. The filing also reveals that Johnston had other inappropriate relationships that created conflicts of interest, including with a criminal defense attorney and a man charged with domestic violence in Ray County.

Meanwhile, the AG’s petition against Johnston, which prompted the judge to issue a preliminary injunction restraining him from exercising his authority as a prosecutor until the case is resolved, alleged that Johnston retaliated against an employee who had an affair and created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation within his office.

“When an elected official treats public office as his playground, betrays public trust, disregards legal obligations, and puts our interests first, removal is not a suggestion, it’s a requirement,” Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Johnston’s record shows a continuing pattern of misconduct and willful indifference that has undermined the integrity of the prosecutor’s office and seriously jeopardized public safety. In Missouri, public office is a public trust, not a personal privilege, and no one is above accountability.”

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Hanaway’s office told Fox News Digital that Johnston “is prohibited from taking any action in any official capacity” and, while he is fighting to be reinstated as the trial continues, “at this time, he is no longer the Ray County Prosecutor.” The AG’s office also confirmed that the alleged sex offender identified as “JG” in the complaint is Juan David Gutierrez, whose case is currently open but is on hold pending an appeal in another matter.

Johnston “failed to recuse himself during the investigation” of the sexual assault case involving Gutierrez, Hanaway’s office said, noting that a local court later appointed the Missouri Attorney General’s Office to prosecute the case.

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According to the complaint, Johnston and Gutierrez lived together and were dating and intimate before he took over as Ray County prosecutor on January 1, 2023. The filing states that Johnston was informed on September 15, 2020, that Gutierrez was a suspect in a Ray County case on a current charge of sexual assault, with a charge of sexual assault.

Local outlet KSHB reported that the Missouri Highway Patrol said authorities did not find Gutierrez when the Missouri State Highway Patrol forwarded its findings to the Attorney General’s office in 2020, and that the Attorney General’s office later declined to prosecute and closed the case in 2022. then Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers, who sent an email to the Attorney General’s office in 2023 about information that could help find Gutierrez.

Then-U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway (left) speaks to reporters after Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (right) announced her appointment as the state’s next attorney general Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at the governor’s office at the Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

The AG’s office told Fox News Digital separately that Johnston admitted to knowing Gutierrez’s immigration status for several years. The petition alleges that Gutierrez is a Mexican citizen who was illegally present in the US as of 2019.

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The petition also says Johnston knew where Gutierrez was after he left Missouri, failed to disclose that information to law enforcement, visited her in Mississippi and vacationed with her in Florida. It accuses Johnston of transferring the title to his car to Gutierrez in 2023 again, and says he “helped” him flee Ray County while knowing he was a sex offender and 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.

Federal agents arrest an illegal immigrant from Somalia. (ICE luck)

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 his office, while allegedly failing to disclose the relationship or seek a special prosecutor in those cases.

A separate petition alleges Johnston had another romantic relationship with a man charged with domestic violence, and was later recused from prosecuting that case after law enforcement learned of the alleged relationship and sought a special prosecutor.

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During that time, aside from the improper relationship, Johnston allegedly “knowingly” created an atmosphere of fear and panic within the Ray County Prosecutor’s Office by yelling at staff and employees. The filing also alleges that the former employee learned that Johnston was in a romantic relationship that may have caused a conflict of interest, and that Johnston retaliated by firing the employee after learning that they knew about the relationship.

Of all the alleged relationships, the complaint alleges Johnston observed the impropriety but continued to behave, withheld information about the relationships and “falsely denied the existence” of the alleged compromising relationships when asked.

Hanaway’s office said it stood by the allegations in the petition but could not comment on criminal charges involving Johnston.