The sheriff leading the investigation in the Nancy Guthrie case is facing bipartisan calls for removal from the county board of supervisors. A Democrat and a Republican plan to move to vacate Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos’ office next week over allegations he lied about a history of suspensions and other disciplinary actions he received in the 1970s and 1980s as a member of the El Paso Police Department. “This is accountability for a guy who has evaded accountability for decades and is himself a public safety threat,” said Dr. Matt Heinz, a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors.

The core of the scandal dates back decades to the 1970s and 1980s, when Chris Nanos was a member of the El Paso Police Department. According to internal allegations, Nanos’ record from that era is far from clean. Investigators and whistleblowers claim that he was hit with multiple suspensions and disciplinary actions during his tenure in Texas—details that were conveniently omitted or denied during his rise to power in Arizona.

The accusation is simple but devastating: Perjury. By allegedly lying about his disciplinary history under oath or in official capacities, Nanos has put every case he touched at risk.

“A Public Safety Threat”

Dr. Matt Heinz, a prominent member of the Board of Supervisors, did not mince words when discussing the necessity of the Sheriff’s removal.

“This is about accountability for a guy who has evaded it for decades,” Heinz stated. “When the person leading the investigation is himself a public safety threat due to a lack of honesty, the entire system collapses.”

The concern is that if a Sheriff is found to have committed perjury, every criminal conviction tied to his testimony or leadership could be challenged in court. For the family of Nancy Guthrie, this is a nightmare scenario—the possibility that their quest for justice could be derailed by the very man supposed to deliver it.

The Final Countdown