TRUE CRIME NEWSNancy Guthrie Case: Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos Being Urged to 'Do the Right Thing and Resign' as 'Contentious' Investigation Continues
The county is trying to give Chris Nanos the boot.
March 25 2026, Updated 2:03 p.m. ET
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, the man leading the investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, is facing calls to resign over his professional past.
"There's this effort now to recall him, where they're gathering signatures," NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin revealed during his YouTube show on Wednesday, March 25, before clarifying "it has nothing to do" with the case of Today star Savannah Guthrie's missing mom.
As OK! previously reported, it recently came out that the Arizona sheriff exited his first job at the El Paso Police Department in disgrace and subsequently lied about his work history.
Brian Entin interviewed a Pima County supervisor about the effort to recall Chris Nanos.
A meeting was held about removing the sheriff.
Calling the situation "contentious," Brian explained, "There's a local reporter that unearthed [Chris'] personnel file from decades ago and found that he had been in trouble and suspended and and had issues there, a variety of issues."
"And he was under oath," the investigative reporter continued. "And asked about his past and whether there are any issues in his past in that way and he said, 'No.' And that is the basis now for this recall."
Brian went on to reveal that the Pima County Board of Supervisors held a meeting on Tuesday night, March 24, where they "voted unanimously" to proceed with an investigation into the aforementioned ordeal.
'He Really Should Just Hang It Up'
Chris Nanos was described as a 'stubborn man.'
Brian played a clip from the meeting in which a woman said, "As a person helping to collect signatures, the mere mention of his name gets the clipboard snatched out of my hand, followed by, 'Give me that, this guy has got to go!'"
"I hope he does right thing," County Supervisor Dr. Matt Heinz told Brian in an interview, referring to Chris possibly turning in his resignation. "He really should just hang it up."
Matt went on to say that Chris is "a very proud and stubborn man," so he's not confident the sheriff will willingly vacate his post.
- Sheriff Chris Nanos Blew Up Nancy Guthrie Investigation Due to 'Ego and Incompetence,' Ex-NYPD Cop Says
- Kash Patel Caught Signing Photos of Himself as Nancy Guthrie Remains Missing
- Hoda Kotb Shares How Savannah Guthrie's 'Desperation' to Find Missing Mom Is Helping Her Stay Strong: 'God’s Holding Her Hand'
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The Sheriff Landed a Suspect in the Hospital
Assault charges were filed against Chris Nanos.
Chris reportedly left the El Paso Police Department in 1982 after he was threatened with termination over numerous transgressions, including using excessive force and off-duty gambling, Arizona Republic revealed on Tuesday, March 10.
In one incident, the then-rookie cop allegedly hospitalized suspect Carlos Urias after kicking him in the head. Assault charges were filed against Chris, but a grand jury opted not to indict him, local news outlets reported at the time.
After stepping down in lieu of being fired, he botched the dates of his employment on his publicly posted resume, stating he remained with the Texas police department two years longer than he had.
'Good Luck With Your Hit Piece'
The sheriff has brushed off the reports.
The sheriff’s office claimed the inaccuracy was simply a "clerical error" and said the resume had been revised while Chris himself offered a casual response to the story.
"That’s your 'urgent' request? You sure you don’t want to go back to my high school and ask why I got swats from the principal? Good luck with your hit piece," he told the Republic.
