Sheriff Chris Nanos avoids ouster as county refers perjury allegations to AG
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A move to oust Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos failed at Tuesday night’s Board of Supervisors meeting, but the board voted to refer the perjury allegations to the state attorney general’s office because Nanos’ past record and handling of the Nancy Guthrie case had been heavily scrutinized.
Republican Steve Christy moved to have the board declare the sheriff’s office vacant and begin the process of replacing it immediately. However, no one supported the motion and the attempt to remove him failed.
Democrat Rex Scott then filed a motion to refer the perjury allegations against Nanos to the state AG’s office; The board approved it by a 4-0 vote, with Christy abstaining.
The board’s actions capped a major showdown over allegations that the man who led the Guthrie kidnapping investigation lied under oath about past police records.
PIMA COUNTY Chiefs TAKE ACTION TO REMOVE THE OUST SHERIFF, LEADER OF THE NANCY GUTHRIE KIDNAPPING INVESTIGATION, OVER ALLEGATIONS OF LIAR
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos leaves a gym in Tucson, Ariz., on May 9, 2026. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
The developments followed weeks of mounting pressure from the county’s own leaders, with two supervisors, Christy and Democrat Matt Heinz, pressing to remove the elected sheriff or take official action against him.
“This is the responsibility of a man who has evaded responsibility for decades,” Heinz told Fox News Digital last week, calling Nanos a “public safety threat.”
At the center of the controversy are allegations that Nanos misled authorities about his disciplinary history as a Texas police officer in the 1970s and 1980s.
The allegations stem from Nanos’ testimony in a case in which he said under oath that he had never been suspended from duty as a law enforcement officer.
El Paso records, first obtained by the Arizona Republic and later made public by the county, show he was suspended from office multiple times and resigned in lieu of termination.
Christy said the sheriff had already missed the deadline to answer the board’s questions under oath, which further escalated the situation.
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“He hasn’t complied with that request anyway… so we’re moving to the next phase,” Christy said, signaling a possible move to vacate the office.
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Because the sheriff is an elected official, removing him from office is legally complex; But auditors point to a rarely used Arizona law dating back to the 1800s as a possible way forward.
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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaks to the media while answering questions about the search for Nancy Guthrie in Catalina, Ariz., on Feb. 3. (Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)
Even if not removed, the board could take other action, including issuing a resolution expressing a lack of confidence or referring the allegations to the state attorney general’s office for criminal investigation, Heinz said.
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He also noted that a conviction on perjury charges would ultimately force the sheriff to be removed from office.
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Adding to the tension was the fact that both sides hired outside legal counsel rather than relying on the district attorney’s office; Christy said the move costs taxpayers additional money.
SHERIFF UNDER FIRE IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE
A Pima County sheriff’s officer stands outside Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona, on February 14, 2026. (Ty O’Neil/AP)
In his written response to the board, Nanos retracted the allegations, arguing that the dispute arose from misunderstanding, not perjury.
His attorney noted that the sheriff’s statement referred only to his Arizona career, noting that although he had previously faced discipline in Texas, he had never been suspended from duty during his decades with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
The memo also confirms that Nanos resigned from the El Paso Police Department in 1982 rather than accept a proposed suspension following a disagreement with a supervisor.
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Heinz disputed that characterization, arguing that records showed Nanos resigned rather than disciplined and fired.
The sheriff refused to answer questions in person under oath; instead, he submitted a notarized statement to the board after the deadline. Heinz said this was still acceptable but did not resolve the underlying concerns.
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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos leaves the press room after providing an update on the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie on February 5, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona. (REUTERS/Rebecca Noble)
The investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance on February 1 has spanned more than 100 days, with few publicly available developments.
The case involving the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie drew national attention and led to tensions between Nanos and the FBI; this included a public confrontation with Director Kash Patel over whether federal agents initially stood aside.
Heinz also called on the sheriff to turn the investigation over to federal authorities.
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“This is ridiculous,” he said. “Pretty much every jurisdiction would have done that by now.”
As his family continues to appeal for help, more than $1.2 million in rewards is being offered for information leading to answers.
