The Arizona sheriff at the forefront of the search for Nancy Guthrie is facing a recall effort due to criticisms of his management of the prominent kidnapping investigation. Sheriff Chris Nanos of Pima County has been described as “an embarrassment” by some in relation to his approach to the case.
Sheriff Nanos addressed the initiative to remove him shortly after it was reported by The Post on Tuesday. Speaking to 13 News, he acknowledged, “We’re aware of the recall, and it’s the right of the people.” He emphasized the importance of democracy, stating, “We’ll always honor the will of the people, and that’s what makes democracy,” indicating his willingness to accept the outcome.
Daniel Butierez, a Republican congressional candidate, informed The Post that he initiated the recall campaign due to Nanos’ handling of the Guthrie case and accusations concerning discrepancies in his employment history. Butierez, who is running in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District this coming November, noted growing dissatisfaction among both Pima County police officers and fellow Democrats with Nanos’s actions.
“We’ll always honor the will of the people, and that’s what makes democracy,” he added, suggesting he would abide by the decision.
Republican congressional candidate Daniel Butierez told The Post on Tuesday that he had launched the recall campaign over Nanos’ handling of the Guthrie case as well as allegations he misrepresented his employment history.
There is increasing disquiet over his conduct among rank-and-file Pima County police officers as well as Sheriff Nanos’s fellow Democrats, according to Butierez, who is standing in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District this November.
Nanos “has been an embarrassment to Tucson and to Pima County with this Nancy Guthrie case,” Butierez said. “Everyone’s pretty disgusted, Democrats and Republicans.”
Starting last Thursday, when he officially began recall proceedings, Butierez has 120 days to collect the necessary signatures to oust Sheriff Nanos.
Follow The Post’s live updates on Savannah Guthrie’s missing mom
The country’s Board of Supervisors is due to meet on March 24 to discuss Sheriff Nanos’s employment history.
During a sworn deposition in December, Nanos was asked whether he had ever been suspended during his law enforcement career and answered “no.”
However, records in his former police department in El Paso show he was suspended eight separate times as a young officer.
“When you see something this troubling and serious going on with one of the county officeholders, it’s very, very important for us to investigate as fully as possible and to find out more information,” Pima County Supervisor Matt Heinz, a fellow Democrat, told the Arizona Republic.
“This man has been living a fraud for the past 43 years in Pima County. I would like to see him removed,” Heinz added.
This is the latest headache for the lawmaker in charge of Nancy Guthrie’s case, as he also faces an unrelated $1.35 million lawsuit from an inmate at the Pima County Jail.
The timeline of the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mom:
It comes as the search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show presenter Savannah Guthrie, 54, approaches the 50-day mark with no suspects or persons of interest identified.
She was last seen on Jan. 31 after being dropped off at her home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood north of Tucson, Ariz., by relatives.
Bluetooth data from her pacemaker indicates she may have been taken in the early hours of Feb. 1.
