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TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona sheriff starring the probe into the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie is facing calls from 2 members of his county’s five-person committee of supervisors to measurement down amid allegations that helium lied astir his past grounds arsenic a Texas bull earlier joining his section successful the 1980s.
Guthrie is the 84-year-old parent of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, and her unsolved kidnapping has drawn nationalist attraction to Pima County successful Arizona, wherever Sheriff Chris Nanos is 3 months into a hunt for her portion fending disconnected lawsuits from existent and erstwhile members of his ain section and trading barbs with the FBI.
"This is accountability for a feline who has evaded accountability for decades and is himself a nationalist information threat," said Dr. Matt Heinz, a subordinate of the Pima County Board of Supervisors.
Heinz, a Democrat, and the five-person board’s lone Republican, Supervisor Steve Christy, some told Fox News Digital they program to determination to person Nanos’ bureau vacated astatine a gathering adjacent week pursuing allegations that helium lied astir a past of suspensions and different disciplinary actions helium received successful the 1970s and 1980s arsenic a subordinate of the El Paso Police Department.
NANCY GUTHRIE SHERIFF TO GET DRAGGED TO HOT SEAT AS STALLED CASE STIRS UP PAST SCANDALS
A divided representation shows Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaking to reporters astir the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie, alongside an representation of Guthrie seated during a crippled of mahjong. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters, Courtesy of NBC)
They'll request much enactment to succeed, however, and it's not instantly wide that they person it.
"If the committee doesn’t privation to determination up with vacating the office, I’m beauteous definite that they volition privation to bash thing meaningful similar a solution expressing deficiency of assurance and the referral for prosecution," Heinz said.
It doesn't instrumentality a bulk to inquire the authorities lawyer wide to look into precocious lobbed allegations of perjury, helium said. But a unanimous ballot would adhd weight, helium added.
PIMA COUNTY SHERIFF NO STRANGER TO CONTROVERSY AS CRITICISM IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE RAMPS UP
FBI agents canvass homes adjacent Nancy Guthrie's residence successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 6, 2026, arsenic the probe into her disappearance continues. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)
If an probe leads to charges and past a conviction, Nanos would beryllium forced to measurement down, helium said.
The committee doesn’t person wide authorization implicit the sheriff due to the fact that helium holds an elected office. However, Christy said members person immoderate authorization to enactment based connected an 1873 Arizona law.
That's due to the fact that Nanos allegedly missed a deadline to conscionable the board's request to reply questions nether oath, the 2 supervisors said.
WHO IS CHRIS NANOS? PIMA COUNTY SHERIFF WITH 50 YEARS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT HEADS NANCY GUTHRIE INVESTIGATION
"He's already failed that request. The timeline for him to supply that is over," Christy told Fox News Digital. "So there's nary going back...It's excessively precocious for that. So we're into the adjacent signifier of if helium doesn't resign, past we volition determination toward, oregon astatine slightest 2 of america connected the committee volition determination toward, vacating his office."
Christy added that since each of the committee members and sheriff are duly elected officials, some sides are utilizing extracurricular counsel alternatively than the region attorney's office, costing taxpayers much money.
"My presumption is that unless successful the adjacent fewer days earlier the committee gathering adjacent week, if helium doesn't resign oregon if helium doesn't discontinue successful an honorable fashion, which is disposable to him, past I volition determination and I volition enactment immoderate effort by the Board of Supervisors to vacate the office, which is portion of the regulation," Christy told Fox News Digital.
EMAILS REVEAL REALITY TV CREW’S BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCESS TO SHERIFF NOW LEADING NANCY GUTHRIE PROBE
FBI agents hunt the country down Nancy Guthrie's location successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 6, 2026, arsenic the probe into her disappearance continues. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
The allegations of perjury originated aft a deposition successful a suit against Nanos from the president of the region deputies union.
According to a transcript, the sheriff said nether oath that he’d ne'er been suspended arsenic a instrumentality enforcement officer.
However, records from El Paso look to contradict that claim. He was suspended galore times and resigned successful lieu of termination, according to nationalist records obtained by the Arizona Republic and aboriginal posted to the region board’s website.
SHERIFF'S OFFICE AT CENTER OF NANCY GUTHRIE CASE SPOTLIGHTED IN NEW 'DESERT LAW' TV SERIES
A Pima County Sheriff chopper searches the godforsaken successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 3, 2026, for clues successful the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, who was past seen Saturday night. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Then an lawyer for Nanos explained it similar this:
"Sheriff Nanos resigned from the El Paso Police Department successful 1982. At the clip of his resignation, helium held the fertile of corporal. His resignation came successful the aftermath of a quality with a supervisor implicit the towing of vehicles. The supervisor wanted to enforce a three-day suspension for insubordination. Sheriff Nanos appealed that recommended subject to the Chief, who recovered successful favour of the supervisor. Rather than judge a three-day suspension, Sheriff Nanos offered to resign successful lieu of discipline. The Chief accepted his connection and Sheriff Nanos resigned."
The grounds indicates Nanos resigned successful lieu of "termination," not successful lieu of "discipline," which Heinz said is an inaccurate portrayal. Nanos had been suspended aggregate times and subjected to different disciplinary actions for a fig of alleged incidents involving tardiness to work, violations of section orders, off-duty behaviour and negligently firing a gun.
SHERIFF UNDER FIRE AMID NANCY GUTHRIE CASE ALLEGEDLY BROUGHT LOADED FIREARM TO AIRPORT CHECKPOINT
Law enforcement and quality broadcasters are stationed extracurricular Nancy Guthrie's residence successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 10, 2026, arsenic searches proceed for the 84-year-old parent of writer Savannah Guthrie. Possible abductors acceptable a ransom deadline of 5 p.m. connected Feb. 9 for a $6 cardinal outgo aft she went missing connected Feb. 1. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Although Nanos declined to reply questions successful idiosyncratic nether oath, Heinz said helium sent a "notarized statement" to the committee "swearing to the veracity of the study nether punishment of perjury."
This came aft the deadline, however, but Heinz said the committee volition apt judge it anyway.
That whitethorn not assistance the sheriff.
PIMA COUNTY DEPUTY ACCUSED OF KIDNAPPING WOMAN IN CUSTODY, FIRED FROM DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATING GUTHRIE CASE
A Pima County Sheriff’s Department lawman stands defender extracurricular the location of Nancy Guthrie successful the Catalina Foothills of Tucson, Arizona, aft the 84-year-old pistillate went missing connected Feb. 11, 2026. Nancy Guthrie is the parent of writer and tv big Savannah Guthrie. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters)
"He lied nether oath to the committee astir his separation from El Paso PD," Heinz said Wednesday. "And we volition see referring his perjury to the [attorney general] for prosecution."
Nanos and his bureau did not instantly respond to requests for comment.
It’s been much than 13 weeks since Guthrie’s abduction from her location successful Tucson’s Catalina Foothills vicinity drew a nationalist spotlight to the community.
FBI NANCY GUTHRIE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN AIMS FOR 'CRUCIAL PIECE OF INFORMATION'
An equipped idiosyncratic reaches toward a Google Nest camera astatine Nancy Guthrie's beforehand doorway successful Tucson, Arizona, successful photos released connected Feb. 10, 2026. (FBI)
A prohibition connected parking successful her vicinity remained successful spot weeks aft the monolithic media beingness evaporated, and determination person been fewer substantive updates speech from quality that a hairsbreadth illustration recovered wrong Guthrie’s location has been sent from the sheriff’s preferred backstage laboratory successful Florida to the FBI.
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That item itself led to renewed strain betwixt Nanos and the FBI. Federal investigators had wanted to person the DNA tests done astatine Quantico from the beginning, but Nanos, whose section is heading the investigation, refused.
Although tensions had cooled successful the months that followed, Nanos and FBI Director Kash Patel traded barbs publically Tuesday.
NANCY GUTHRIE CASE SPARKS CLASH AS FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL RIPS SHERIFF
WATCH: Patel calls retired sheriff successful Guthrie case: FBI was 'kept retired of the investigation'
"What we, the FBI, bash is say, ‘Hey, we're present to help. What bash you need?’" Patel told Fox News’ Sean Hannity connected his podcast, "Hang Out with Sean Hannity."
"And for 4 days, we were kept retired of the investigation," helium added.
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Nanos countered with a connection claiming the FBI had been progressive successful the probe from the start, and helium downplayed concerns astir his earlier decision.
SHERIFF IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE SAYS NO GLOVE FOUND AT HOME, DEFENDS ONGOING WORK WITH FBI
"The laboratory utilized by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI Laboratory successful Quantico person worked successful adjacent concern from the outset and proceed to collaborate successful the investigation of evidence," helium said successful a connection Tuesday.
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FBI Director Kash Patel spoke during a quality league astatine the Department of Justice connected April 21, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
"A subordinate of the FBI Task Force was besides notified and contiguous astatine that country moving alongside our personnel. The FBI was promptly notified by some our section and the Guthrie family," helium added. "While the FBI Director was not connected scene, coordination with the Bureau began without delay."
The task unit subordinate was a region detective qualified to beryllium portion of the FBI Joint Task Force who acts arsenic a liaison betwixt the region and the bureau, according to the sheriff's department.
ARIZONA SHERIFF BLOCKING FBI FROM KEY EVIDENCE IN ESCALATING GUTHRIE CASE: SOURCE
Federal instrumentality enforcement sources antecedently told Fox News Digital that it took days earlier the FBI was asked to help.
Pima County deputies analyse a flyer taped to the mailbox extracurricular Nancy Guthrie's location successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 23, 2026. Guthrie, the 84-year-old parent of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, is believed to person been abducted from her location successful the aboriginal hours of Feb. 1. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)
In summation to calling for the sheriff to measurement down, Heinz is besides urging him to manus implicit enactment of the Guthrie probe to the FBI.
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"It’s ridiculous," helium said. "Almost each different section jurisdiction would person done truthful by now. Actually, it usually happens wrong days due to the fact that past the FBI covers the immense bulk of the outgo of the probe alternatively of the region oregon city. So speech from possibly NYC, LA, Chicago, Houston and immoderate different ample cities, immoderate different jurisdiction would person asked for the FBI to instrumentality the lead."
There is simply a combined reward of much than $1.2 cardinal for accusation that cracks the case. The household is urging tipsters to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.
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