Ousted Ray Co. Prosecutor Camille Johnston removed from Missouri Prosecutor’s Association

KSHB 41 News anchor/I-Team reporter Sarah Plake covers issues in Ray County. Send Sarah an email at sarah.plake@kshb.com.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — —

The Board of Directors of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (MAPA) voted this week to terminate the membership of former Ray County prosecutor Camille Johnston.

The president of MAPA, Robert Russell, who is also the Johnson County, Missouri, Prosecuting Attorney, sent Johnston a letter dated July 29.

The letter says the Board reviewed Johnston's recent court filing in response to a quo warranto removing her from office, and that's what led to her termination from the group.

"Based upon your admissions therein, on this date the Board of Directors voted to terminate your membership in the Association, effective immediately," the letter reads.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed a quo warranto petition earlier this month, removing Johnston from her position as prosecuting attorney following allegations of misconduct and conflicts of interest.

Johnston responded, denying allegations of professional conduct violations and criminal activity.

The AG's quo warranto was centered on Johnston's alleged relationships with criminal defendants and a criminal defense attorney.

In her response, Johnston admitted being in a relationship with a man KSHB 41 identified as Juan David Gutierrez, a defendant in a sexual assault case currently awaiting trial.

The tie between Gutierrez and Johnston, and why Gutierrez's case took years to see the inside of a courtroom, was the focus of a 2025 KSHB 41 I-Team exclusive investigation.

In Johnston's response, she also acknowledged her relationship with another "prospective defendant" who was charged with domestic violence, referenced as C.W. She denied firing a former employee in her office for knowing about the relationship with C.W.

And she denied being in a relationship with a criminal defense attorney, only referenced as T.T. in the quo warranto.

In addition to the response to the quo warranto, Johnston filed a motion seeking to bar AG Hanaway from publicly commenting on the situation. Johnston claims the AG broke rules within the Missouri Rules of Professional Conduct by making comments that “heightened the public condemnation of the accused," specifically citing Hanaway's comment that Johnston “used the charging docket as a dating app.”