Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who is leading the investigation into the abduction of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, Nancy, has been revealed to have a troubled past in law enforcement.
Nanos was suspended eight times while working at the El Paso Police Department in Texas in the late 1970s and early 1980s, according to recently revealed records.
Highlights
- A report reveals that Chris Nanos had multiple disciplinary issues at the start of his law enforcement career.
- His record includes being suspended eight times during his tenure with the El Paso Police Department.
- The revelations are emerging as he faces criticism over the perceived lack of progress in the ongoing investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s case.
His failure to produce answers nearly three months into Nancy's disappearance had him under intense netizen scrutiny as it is, and now they are also debating his career history.
“He is no sheriff. He is just a wannabe,” an X user opined.
The sheriff leading Nancy Guthrie’s case is facing a formal probe over his on and off-duty conduct
Image credits: Getty/Don Arnold
The Arizona Republic obtained records of Nanos’s checkered cop career on March 9.
According to the report, Nanos was accused of using excessive force against a suspect, off-duty gambling, and tardiness on the job.
Image credits: Getty/Jan Sonnenmair
In one allegation, Nanos was suspended for 15 days in 1982 after being accused of beating a handcuffed suspect so badly that he was hospitalized.
The incident was allegedly triggered by an “intoxicated and uncooperative suspect,” which led officers to use force to detain him. He was thrown against a police vehicle and struck in the face several times.
The suspect filed an a**ault charge against Nanos, but a grand jury refused to indict him.
Image credits: Getty/Brandon Bell
Nanos’s second-longest suspension, lasting 10 days, was in June 1980 after he allegedly used profane language about the wife of a suspect, Wayne Robertson, who was arrested for public intoxication.
The suspect had declined to give his address to ensure his wife wouldn’t be bothered.
Nanos allegedly told Robertson, “I wouldn’t f*** with your sl*t,” before threatening to take him “to the desert and beat the hell out of him.”
According to the reported records, Nanos was later busted for gambling on a pool game by undercover cops.
In other alleged instances, he was disciplined for showing up late to his shifts.
Chris Nanos was recently ordered to provide sworn testimony about whether he lied about his early career as a police officer
The Arizona Republic report also alleged that Nanos misrepresented his work history before joining the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
Nanos’s résumé on the sheriff’s department website states that he worked at the El Paso Police Department until 1984.
Image credits: savannahguthrie
However, records obtained by the outlet show that he resigned from the department in 1982 in lieu of termination.
The Pima County Board of Supervisors on March 24 unanimously voted in favor of asking Nanos to provide a sworn statement on the matter.
Image credits: FBI Director Kash Patel
Nanos, via a spokesperson, said that he is “committed” to complying with the authorities and will continue to “operate with openness and transparency” as he is probed.
Nanos was criticized last month for sounding unapologetic over the ineffective investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance
Image credits: USA TODAY
Nancy was taken from her home in Tucson on February 1. Footage from her doorbell camera showed a masked figure breaking into the property shortly after midnight.
Investigators found evidence, including blood spots at her door, alongside several gloves, but failed to link them to any DNA samples of any suspect.
Nanos faced flak for sending the evidence to a private lab instead of using the FBI.
In an interview with News4 Tucson, Nanos said he has “no regrets” over how he and his team have handled the case.
Upon being asked if the search “went the way you wanted it to go,” Nanos responded, “Yes, absolutely.”
Pima County Deputies Organization president Aaron Cross told The New York Post that authorities in the county have grown frustrated with Nanos’s leadership.
“A common belief in this agency is that this case has become an ego case for Nanos,” he said.
Image credits: NBC
Soon after Nancy’s abduction became public, Savannah reportedly wanted to issue a big reward to boost the search for her mother.
Nanos, according to sources who spoke to Fox News in February, stopped her from doing so, fearing the influx of tips would muddy his investigation.
Savannah eventually did issue a reward for the case.
"Get this guy off the case," a netizen said about Nanos
