Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has refused to submit sworn testimony to county supervisors investigating his disciplinary record, escalating a credibility crisis that local officials say has now jeopardised the 87-day search for missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBCTodayco-host Savannah Guthrie.

Nanos's attorney, James Cool, filed a 22-page response with the Pima County Board of Supervisors on 21 April 2026, addressing the sheriff's employment history, disciplinary record, immigration cooperation, and budget overruns. The filing was not made under oath, despite Arizona Revised Statutes section 11-253 (ARS 11-253) requiring sworn testimony from county officers compelled to report to the board.

Board Vice Chair Matt Heinz called the unsworn filing 'troubling' in remarks to Arizona Public Media, saying Nanos had missed the deadline despite the statute's clear requirement.

In a separate NewsNation interview, Heinz accused the sheriff of having 'perpetrated a fraud' on his community for four decades. Cool, in his letter, contended that the board's 8 April invitation never used the words 'sworn' or 'under oath'.

The credibility dispute draws from internal affairs files at the El Paso Police Department, where Nanos worked from 1976 to 1982. Records obtained byThe Arizona Republicshow Nanos was suspended eight times during his Texas tenure, accumulating 37 days of lost work for incidents involving excessive force, insubordination, off-duty gambling, and habitual tardiness.

A 15-day suspension in March 1982 followed an incident in which Nanos struck a handcuffed suspect in the head with a flashlight, sending the man to intensive care. He was not indicted.

Nanos resigned in July 1982 'in lieu of termination,' with insubordination and inefficiency listed in the records. The Pima County Deputies Association passed a unanimous no-confidence vote in March, with 241 of 306 members demanding his immediate resignation.

Concerns about Nanos's leadership extend to forensic handling. A hair sample recovered inside Guthrie's Catalina Foothills home was sent first to a private Florida laboratory contracted by the sheriff's department, despite the FBI requesting the evidence weeks earlier. The hair has since been transferred to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for advanced testing.

FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson confirmed the delay in a statement on X, saying the bureau had requested the sample roughly two months earlier with the same forensic technology already at its disposal.

Still receiving inquiries on this: this is not new evidence or information. FBI asked to test this DNA 2 months ago with the same technology we’ve always had - when the local Sheriff instead sent it to a private lab. Any further developments we will share as soon as appropriate.https://t.co/FohRJtv8oH

Source: International Business Times UK