The lead investigator in the unresolved case of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, Sheriff Chris Nanos, has a controversial history in law enforcement, including accusations of assaulting a restrained suspect and intimidating witnesses, according to newly surfaced records.

During his tenure with the El Paso Police Department in Texas, Nanos, now 70, faced suspension on eight occasions, as reported by the Arizona Republic. These suspensions occurred early in his career and highlight a series of alleged misconducts.

The Arizona Republic uncovered these details through a public records request, revealing numerous allegations against Nanos from his early days as a police officer.

The records suggest that Nanos was accused of several infractions, including the use of excessive force, providing false statements to authorities, participating in gambling while off-duty, and habitual tardiness.

One particularly severe accusation involved Nanos allegedly assaulting a handcuffed suspect so brutally that the individual required hospitalization for significant blood loss, leading to a suspension.

Other allegations include Nanos being reprimanded for making derogatory remarks towards women and threatening a witness who had lodged a complaint against him, according to the records.

Nanos then lied to authorities about having stopped the witness on the street, according to the records. 

The bombshell report comes as Nanos faced scrutiny for his handling of the investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance on February 1 from her home in Tucson, Arizona.  

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who led the unsolved disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, has a checkered past in law enforcement including allegedly beating a handcuffed suspect, new records show

Nanos faced scrutiny for his handling of the investigation into Savannah Guthrie’s mother Nancy’s disappearance on February 1 from her home in Tucson, Arizona

According to the reported records, Nanos was also punished during his time as a cop in Texas for gambling on a pool game, when he was busted by undercover cops. 

In other alleged instances, Nanos was disciplined for sleeping through his alarm and showing up late to his shifts, the Republic reported. 

Nanos’s longest suspension was for 15 days, when he was accused of beating a handcuffed robbery suspect so severely he hospitalized him. 

The incident in March 1982 was allegedly triggered by an ‘intoxicated and uncooperative’ suspect, which led officers to use force to detain him including throwing him against a patrol vehicle and striking him in the face ‘several times.’ 

The suspect filed a police assault charge report against Nanos, but a grand jury declined to indict him.  

However, the records were not entirely bad for Nanos, as a document from 1979 credited him with saving his partner’s life. 

In recent weeks, Nanos was ordered to provide sworn testimony to the Pima County Board of Supervisors about whether he lied about his early career as a police officer to county officials. 

Nanos was accused of using excessive force against suspects, making a false statement to authorities, off-duty gambling, and tardiness on the job early in his career as a police officer, records showed 

The Board of Supervisors demanded Nanos’ deposition following reports alleging he misrepresented his work history before joining the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in 1984. 

He was reportedly forced to resign from the El Paso Police Department in 1982, raising questions how he was hired just two years later in Arizona, eventually rising to the position of Sheriff in 2020. 

Nanos said in a statement that he would be providing answers to the board about his history. 

‘Sheriff Chris Nanos remains committed to full compliance and will continue to operate with openness and transparency moving forward,’ spokesperson Brittany Abarr said.

‘His priority remains maintaining public trust and serving the community with integrity.’ 

Surveillance footage from Nancy’s doorbell camera showed a masked man appearing to break into her property in the middle of the night, but no suspects have been arrested or publicly identified 

Nanos has faced severe scrutiny for his handling of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, which remains unsolved over two months on from her being abducted from her home. 

Last month, he was criticized for declaring that he has ‘no regrets’ over the investigation, despite failing to find the 84-year-old or arrest any suspects. 

Nanos insisted in an interview with News4 Tucson that he is unapologetic about the unsolved case.

Asked if the search ‘went the way you wanted it to go’, Nanos responded: ‘Yes absolutely.’

Nancy was taken from her home on the night of February 1, with surveillance footage from her doorbell camera later showing a masked suspect appearing to break into her property in the middle of the night.

Investigators found key evidence including blood droplets at her door and several gloves around her home, but authorities were unable to link any DNA evidence or items to any suspects – with Nanos criticized for sending the evidence to a private lab instead of using the FBI. 

The search also saw two individuals briefly apprehended 10 days and 13 days into the investigation, only for them both to be released without charges after it was found they were not connected to the case.

As the case floundered a week into Nancy’s disappearance, and with the eyes of the nation on Nanos, he was also criticized for going to a basketball game while others carried on the search 

Pima County Deputies Organization president Aaron Cross told The New York Post that authorities in the county have grown frustrated with Nanos’s leadership, saying it is ‘a common belief in this agency that this case has become an ego case for Sheriff Nanos.’

Soon after news of Nancy’s abduction made national headlines, her Today Show host daughter Savannah Guthrie reportedly wanted to issue a big reward to boost leads for her mother.

But Nanos was accused of stopping the family from doing so, fearing that an influx of tips could muddy his investigation, sources told Fox News in February.

Savannah eventually did issue the reward 24 days into the search, with the case remaining unsolved ever since.

In the early hours of the case, Nanos also allegedly failed to deploy a crucial search-and-rescue aircraft, grounding the vital device when it was needed most.

As the case floundered a week into Nancy’s disappearance, and with the eyes of the nation on Nanos, the sheriff was also criticized for going to a basketball game while others carried on the search.