JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Today, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced her office has filed a petition for a writ of quo warranto, seeking to remove Ray County Prosecutor Camille Johnston from office. Following the filing of Attorney General’s petition, a judge approved a preliminary order that immediately removed Johnston as prosecutor pending the outcome of the full lawsuit.
“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,” said Attorney General Hanaway. “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.”
This action is being taken to protect the citizens of Ray County and to restore integrity to an office that has been compromised. The petition asserts that Johnston knowingly and willfully failed to do her duties as a prosecutor, after she:
- Knowingly created an atmosphere within the Ray County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office of fear and intimidation by verbally berating her staff and employees;
- Engaged in an intimate and romantic relationship with a criminal defense attorney representing numerous criminal defendants in matters prosecuted by Johnston;
- Engaged in an intimate and romantic relationship with a prospective defendant and terminated an employee after the employee discovered the relationship;
- Engaged in an intimate and romantic relationship with an undocumented immigrant who was being prosecuted for sexual assault in Ray County and provided title to her vehicle to that defendant to assist him in absconding; and
- In each of these situations, recognized the impropriety of the relationship but continued the conduct;
Under Missouri law, the Attorney General is authorized to file a petition for a writ of quo warranto to remove an official who has unlawfully held office or forfeited it through willful neglect, abuse of duty, or misconduct. Today’s petition affirms Attorney General Hanaway’s commitment to rooting out government corruption and upholding the rule of law in Missouri.
The case is being prosecuted by Public Protection Section Senior Counsel Ted Bruce and Sexually Violent Predator Unit Leader George Lankford.
The full petition filed in the Circuit Court of Ray County can be found here.
The signed preliminary order can be viewed here.