Pima County Supervisors Order Hearing on Sheriff Nanos Amid Misconduct Allegations and Guthrie Case Scrutiny

The Pima County Board of Supervisors in Arizona has unanimously voted to compel Sheriff Chris Nanos to appear at a public hearing, with the aid of outside legal counsel, to answer questions about his past disciplinary record and current management of the sheriff’s department as the search for 84‑year‑old Nancy Guthrie enters its third month. Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show co‑host Savannah Guthrie, was reportedly abducted from her Tucson‑area home on Feb. 1, and critics have questioned Nanos’ handling of the high‑profile missing‑persons case. According to public records attached to the board’s agenda, Nanos testified in a recent deposition that he had never been suspended in law enforcement, but file documents from his earlier career with the El Paso Police Department show multiple suspensions for excessive force, tardiness, failure to report for duty and improper firearm use, and indicate he resigned in lieu of termination before coming to Arizona. The Pima County Deputies’ labor organization says Nanos’ original application to the sheriff’s office portrayed his El Paso exit as a move for better pay and personal reasons, and argues that lying on such an application would normally disqualify a candidate from being hired. While the board did not accuse him of wrongdoing in the Guthrie investigation, the pending oversight hearing and alleged perjury in a First Amendment lawsuit deposition deepen concerns about leadership credibility in an agency responsible for a major unsolved case, a point drawing intense online debate about law‑enforcement transparency and whether internal scandals can compromise high‑stakes investigations.