Sheriff Chris Nanos avoids ouster as county refers perjury allegations to AG
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A transfer to oust Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos failed throughout a Board of Supervisors assembly on Tuesday night time, though the board voted to refer perjury allegations to the state lawyer common’s workplace as Nanos’ previous report and dealing with of the Nancy Guthrie case have been closely scrutinized.
Republican Steve Christy moved to have the board declare the sheriff’s workplace vacant and start the method to substitute him instantly. No one seconded the movement, although, and the bid to oust him failed.
Democrat Rex Scott then made a movement to refer allegations of perjury in opposition to Nanos to the state AG’s workplace, which the board permitted 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 stated 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 person main the Guthrie kidnapping investigation lied underneath oath about his previous police report.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos leaves a fitness center in Tucson, Ariz., on May 9, 2026. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
The developments adopted weeks of mounting strain from inside the county’s personal management, with two supervisors, Christy and Democrat Matt Heinz, pushing to take away the elected sheriff or take formal motion in opposition to him.
“This is accountability for a man who has evaded accountability for decades,” Heinz advised Fox News Digital final week, calling Nanos a “public safety threat.”
At the middle of the controversy are claims Nanos misled officers about his disciplinary history as a Texas police officer within the Seventies and Nineteen Eighties.
The allegations stem from a deposition in a lawsuit, the place Nanos stated underneath oath that he had by no means been suspended as a regulation enforcement officer.
Records from El Paso, first obtained by the Arizona Republic and later revealed publicly by the county, present he was suspended a number of occasions and resigned in lieu of termination.
Christy stated the sheriff had already missed a deadline to reply questions underneath oath from the board — escalating the state of affairs.
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“He’s already failed that request… so we’re into the next phase,” Christy stated, signaling a possible transfer to vacate the workplace.
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Because the sheriff is an elected official, eradicating him is legally difficult, though supervisors have pointed to a not often used Arizona regulation courting again to the 1800s as a attainable path ahead.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaks to the media in Catalina, Ariz., on Feb. 3 whereas answering questions concerning the seek for Nancy Guthrie. (Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)
Even with out elimination, Heinz stated the board may nonetheless take different actions, together with passing a decision expressing a insecurity or referring the allegations for legal investigation by the state lawyer common.
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He additionally famous {that a} conviction on perjury fees would in the end pressure the sheriff from workplace.
Adding to the strain, either side have retained exterior legal counsel moderately than counting on the county lawyer’s workplace, a transfer Christy stated is costing taxpayers extra cash.
SHERIFF UNDER FIRE AMID NANCY GUTHRIE CASE ALLEGEDLY BROUGHT LOADED FIREARM TO AIRPORT CHECKPOINT
A Pima County sheriff’s officer stands exterior Nancy Guthrie’s residence in Tucson, Ariz., on Feb. 14, 2026. (Ty O’Neil/AP)
In a written response to the board, Nanos pushed again on the claims, arguing the controversy stems from a misunderstanding, not perjury.
His lawyer says the sheriff’s testimony referred solely to his Arizona profession, noting he was by no means suspended throughout his many years with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, though he confronted earlier in Texas.
The memo additionally confirms Nanos resigned from the El Paso Police Department in 1982 moderately than settle for a proposed suspension following a dispute with a supervisor.
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Heinz has disputed that characterization, arguing the report reveals Nanos resigned in lieu of termination, not self-discipline.
The sheriff declined to reply questions in individual underneath oath, as a substitute submitting a notarized assertion to the board after the deadline, which Heinz stated should still be accepted however doesn’t resolve the underlying issues.
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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos exits the press room after giving an replace on the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, 84, in Tucson, Ariz., on Feb. 5, 2026. (REUTERS/Rebecca Noble)
The investigation into Guthrie’s Feb. 1 disappearance has now stretched previous 100 days with few public breakthroughs.
The case, involving the 84-year-old mom of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthriehas drawn nationwide consideration and sparked stress between Nanos and the FBI, together with a public conflict with Director Kash Patel over whether or not federal brokers had been initially sidelined.
Heinz has additionally referred to as on the sheriff to hand over the investigation to federal authorities.
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“It’s ridiculous,” he stated. “Almost every other jurisdiction would have done so by now.”
More than $1.2 million in reward cash is now being supplied for data that leads to solutions, as her household continues to plead for assist.
