A move to oust Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos failed during a Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday night, though the board voted to refer perjury allegations to the state attorney general’s office as Nanos’ past record and handling of the Nancy Guthrie case have been heavily scrutinized.
Republican Steve Christy moved to have the board declare the sheriff’s office vacant and begin the process to replace him immediately. No one seconded the motion, though, and the bid to oust him failed.
Democrat Rex Scott then made a motion to refer allegations of perjury against Nanos to the state AG’s office, which the board approved by a vote of 4-0, with Christy abstaining.
“My chief concern with what’s been going on within the sheriff’s department is that our elected sheriff has taken no discernible efforts to repair relationships and trust within our largest department,” Scott said after that vote. “The most telling example of that was the unanimous vote of the Pima County Deputy’s Organization declaring no confidence in his leadership.”
The board’s actions capped a high-stakes showdown over allegations that the man leading the Guthrie kidnapping investigation lied under oath about his past police record.
The developments followed weeks of mounting pressure from within the county’s own leadership, with two supervisors, Christy and Democrat Matt Heinz, pushing to remove the elected sheriff or take formal action against him.
“This is accountability for a guy who has evaded accountability for decades,” Heinz told Fox News Digital last week, calling Nanos a “public safety threat.”
At the center of the controversy are claims Nanos misled officials about his disciplinary history as a Texas police officer in the 1970s and 1980s.
The allegations stem from a deposition in a lawsuit, where Nanos said under oath that he had never been suspended as a law enforcement officer.
Records from El Paso, first obtained by the Arizona Republic and later posted publicly by the county, show he was suspended multiple times and resigned in lieu of termination.
Christy said the sheriff had already missed a deadline to answer questions under oath from the board — escalating the situation.
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“He’s already failed that request… so we’re into the next phase,” Christy said, signaling a potential move to vacate the office.
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Because the sheriff is an elected official, removing him is legally complicated, though supervisors have pointed to a rarely used Arizona law dating back to the 1800s as a possible path forward.
Even without removal, Heinz said the board could still take other actions, including passing a resolution expressing a lack of confidence or referring the allegations for criminal investigation by the state attorney general.
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He also noted that a conviction on perjury charges would ultimately force the sheriff from office.
Adding to the tension, both sides have retained outside legal counsel rather than relying on the county attorney’s office, a move Christy said is costing taxpayers additional money.
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In a written response to the board, Nanos pushed back on the claims, arguing the controversy stems from a misunderstanding, not perjury.
His attorney says the sheriff’s testimony referred only to his Arizona career, noting he was never suspended during his decades with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, though he faced discipline earlier in Texas.
The memo also confirms Nanos resigned from the El Paso Police Department in 1982 rather than accept a proposed suspension following a dispute with a supervisor.
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Heinz has disputed that characterization, arguing the record shows Nanos resigned in lieu of termination, not discipline.
The sheriff declined to answer questions in person under oath, instead submitting a notarized statement to the board after the deadline, which Heinz said may still be accepted but does not resolve the underlying concerns.
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The investigation into Guthrie’s Feb. 1 disappearance has now stretched past 100 days with few public breakthroughs.
The case, involving the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, has drawn national attention and sparked tension between Nanos and the FBI, including a public clash with Director Kash Patel over whether federal agents were initially sidelined.
Heinz has also called on the sheriff to hand over the investigation to federal authorities.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “Almost every other jurisdiction would have done so by now.”
More than $1.2 million in reward money is now being offered for information that leads to answers, as her family continues to plead for help.