Chris Nanos controversies resurface as Nancy Guthrie investigation continues

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who faces increasing scrutiny as the search for missing Nancy Guthrie approaches two weeks, has been under public scrutiny before.

New reports and court records show the sheriff has been embroiled in controversy multiple times over the past decade.

In the weeks before his 2024 reelection, which he won by 481 votes, Nanos placed his opponent, Heather Lappin, a lieutenant at the Pima County Jail, on administrative leave and ordered her not to discuss the reasoning for her decision. Green Valley News reported.

He did the same to Sgt. Aaron Cross is an outspoken opponent and chairman of the Pima County Legislatures Association.

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Just before he was placed on leave, Cross reportedly campaigned against Nanos by holding a sign on a street corner that read “MPs Don’t Want Nanos.” Nanos alleged that Cross campaigned against him in violation of department rules while wearing official Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD)-issued attire, which Cross denied.

One federal lawsuit“Nanos knowingly or recklessly authorized an employment lawsuit against Plaintiff Cross that deprived Plaintiff Cross of the ability to contribute to conversations on matters of public concern and failed to consider or understand his First Amendment right to free speech on matters of public concern,” Cross said in the lawsuit against Nanos, Capt. Juan Navarro, and PCSD.

in Lappin in August filed a lawsuit Against Nanos, “Sheriff Nanos and PCSD leadership waged a retaliatory campaign against Lt. Lappin’s career to undermine his candidacy” after he decided to run for office.

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Lappin volunteered to cover parts of “general instructor” school for another lieutenant who had a scheduling conflict, the lawsuit states. He had taught at the general instructor school seven times before, and on most of those occasions he assigned the same lieutenant.

FBI investigators search the Catalina Mountains in Tucson, Ariz., on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, during their investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. (DWS for Fox News Digital)

However, the school needed a master instructor to teach formally, but Lappin had no such desire. The lawsuit states that Lappin was disciplined for his actions for the first time after expressing interest in racing against Nanos, even though he had followed the route before and had superior knowledge of the regulation. The case file states that Nanos personally signed the disciplinary action, which was described as “unusual.”

He was later unexpectedly assigned to the Pima County Adult Detention Center and said he received no explanation for the move.

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“The Training Center coverage issue was the beginning of a broader effort by Sheriff Nanos and PCSD leadership to damage Lt. Lappin’s reputation and undermine his campaign,” the lawsuit states.

“Within weeks of submitting his expression of interest, Captain Anderson revoked Lieutenant Lappin’s teaching authorization and command transferred him from the Training Center to the Prison. Although labeled as a horizontal move, this punitive transfer served as a demotion in responsibility, reputation, and opportunity.”

The lawsuit also states that Lappin was immediately placed on leave after he posted a photo of Cross’s protest on his campaign website.

Finally, the lawsuit accused Nanos of sending out a press release a few weeks before the election informing the public that Cross was on leave “to engage in political campaigning while representing.” [himself] as a department member with the color of authority” and “[i]It is known that Sergeant Cross cooperated with Lieutenant Heather Lappin in her campaign, and that Lieutenant Lappin was “interrogated” about Sergeant Cross’s activities.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, has been missing from her home in Arizona since January 31, 2026. (Don Arnold/WireImage/Getty Images)

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The release also accused him of “collusion,” according to the lawsuit[ing] While working at the detention center, Lappin allegedly conspired with a journalist to facilitate payment to an inmate in exchange for a story.

“Lieutenant Lappin has been directed to internal affairs a total of five times since he announced his candidacy in 2023,” the lawsuit states. “Prior to his candidacy, he had been referred to internal affairs once during his nearly eighteen years of service with the PCSD.”

Both Cross’s and Lappin’s cases are ongoing.

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Shortly after Nanos’ slim victory in 2024, the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously For an independent investigation into whether Nanos was responsible for criminal offenses during the election. This case was referred to the Arizona attorney general’s office, but no charges were brought.

In 2022, a female PCSD deputy was allegedly sexually assaulted by a supervisor at a holiday party. Supervisor Ricardo Garcia was found not guilty of sexual assault in December 2024, but was found guilty of two counts of attempted sexual assault and two counts of sexual abuse. Garcia was sentenced to one year in prison and three years probation.

In 2023, the Pima County Legislative Organization alleged that Nanos failed to investigate how department leadership handled the investigation into the incident, which led to another referral for an independent investigation by the Arizona attorney general’s office.

office once again No criminal offense found but noted that the department may have violated many of its own rules.

An FBI billboard in Albuquerque, NM raises awareness about the search for missing Nancy Guthrie. (KRQE)

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After the attorney general’s office released its report, the Pima County Board of Supervisors officially voted for Nanos to publicly release the status of the internal investigation.

Nanos was the appointed chief of PCSD in 2015. He took over the position after former Sheriff Clarence Dupnik retired and ran for office in 2016. However, that same year, the FBI began investigating the department for misuse of civil asset forfeiture funds.

In many cases, funds police seize from criminals can be hidden and spent on approved items, such as more equipment for law enforcement.

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In October of that year, Chief Deputy Chris Radtke was indicted on federal charges and accused of mishandling hundreds of thousands of dollars in forfeited assets. The department also reportedly spent $20,000 to build a commercial kitchen to open a cafe run by Radtke’s nephew. Radtke took a plea deal, pleading guilty to three misdemeanor charges of theft of government property. He did not go to jail.

Nanos was never charged.

During this investigation Nanos reacted passionately. Interview with KGUN during which he harshly rebuked the FBI.

FBI agents search homes near Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson home on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (Fox News Digital’s Kat Ramirez)

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“As far as an FBI investigation goes, I’m as surprised as anyone by this,” he said. “There is an agency that has been known to deny or admit anything related to any investigation for years. They are famous for that.”

Nanos complained that the FBI confirmed to a reporter that he was under investigation despite what he saw as the department’s penchant for secrecy. He said he was contacted by former FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Tucson, Andy Black, and had a “good faith” conversation with him.

“Am I mad at the FBI? Absolutely,” he said in the interview. “They’re getting by with ‘No comment’. Who’s doing this today? They think they’re good at it. And when this is all resolved and the case is over, I challenge Mr. Black to stand up on his own and say: ‘We’ve reviewed this investigation and we think this investigation is complete nonsense.’ Because that’s what it is. But you won’t hear about it because they neither confirm nor deny it.”

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He later joked that if the FBI “is having trouble investigating…please call us because we have real cops here.”

Nanos lost the election for sheriff that year but ran again and was elected in 2020.

During the Guthrie investigation, Nanos was accused of slowing down the FBI’s involvement and mistakenly sending evidence to a private laboratory in Florida instead of the FBI’s headquarters in Quantico, Virginia.

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A member of the Pima County Sheriff’s Office stands outside the home of Nancy Guthrie on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. (Ty O’Neil/AP Photo)

He denied both claims in an interview with Fox News’ Matt Finn on Friday.

He told Finn that investigators had been using the Florida lab since the beginning of the investigation, and that the Guthrie family DNA as well as other DNA had been sent there.

“Why would you split your evidence into two different labs, which could create a conflict, but more importantly, it adds an additional step,” he said. “This lab has this piece, this lab has that piece. Now they have to combine these two pieces to make a screening or identification. No, just send it to a lab. Let’s go. Both are great labs. Both have great equipment and smart people.”

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“We trust the FBI’s crime lab. We’ve used them before. But in this case, we started with that lab,” he said. “It’s that simple.”

Nanos also denied the claim that his office delayed contacting the FBI for help on the case, saying he had no reason not to partner with federal law enforcement, that it would be “absolutely insane” not to do so, and that his department and the FBI worked well together. He said he called the FBI on Feb. 2, the first business day after the investigation began.

Nanos did not respond to a request for comment.