The Pima County, Arizona sheriff overseeing the search for Nancy Guthrie has pushed back after facing a recall effort, with critics labeling his handling of the high-profile kidnapping case “an embarrassment.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos responded to the move shortly after it was first reported Tuesday by The New York Post. “We’re aware of the recall, and it’s the right of the people,” Nanos told 13 News. “We’ll always honor the will of the people, and that’s what makes democracy,” he added, signaling he would respect whatever outcome voters decide.
Nancy Guthrie Update: Arizona Residents Stage Recall of Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos https://t.co/rww98rWnQ6 pic.twitter.com/MBABFyfQV1
— In Touch Weekly (@intouchweekly) March 17, 2026
Republican congressional candidate Daniel Butierez said Tuesday that he initiated the recall effort in response to the Arizona sheriff’s handling of the Nancy Guthrie case, along with claims that the sheriff misrepresented aspects of his employment history.
Butierez, who is running in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District this November, also said there is growing unease over Chris Nanos’ conduct among both rank-and-file officers in Pima County and members of his own party. The GOP candidate also said Nanos “has brought embarrassment to Tucson and Pima County” through his handling of the Nancy Guthrie case, adding that frustration spans both sides of the aisle, with “Democrats and Republicans” alike expressing disgust.
The recall effort against the Arizona sheriff now has 120 days to gather the required signatures to force Nanos from office. The Pima County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to convene on March 24 to review questions surrounding Nanos’ employment history.
In a sworn deposition last December, the Arizona sheriff was asked if he had ever been suspended during his law enforcement career, to which he responded, “no.” Records from his former police department in the city of El Paso indicate he was suspended a grand total of eight times when he was new officer on the force.
“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.
Blundering Nancy Guthrie sheriff now faces being FIRED by furious Arizona locals over his handling of abduction that shocked America https://t.co/X2Hzty9Yhu
— Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) March 18, 2026
Heinz escalated his criticism, alleging long-standing deception and calling for Nanos to be removed from office. “This man has been living a fraud for the past 43 years in Pima County. I would like to see him removed,” Heinz added.
The controversy marks the latest challenge for the official overseeing the Nancy Guthrie case, who is also dealing with a separate $1.35 million lawsuit filed by an inmate at the Pima County Jail. An inmate in Arizona has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $1 million against Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and his department—including investigators involved in the Nancy Guthrie case—alleging officials put his life in danger by failing to follow COVID-19 safety protocols, according to court records.
Christopher Michael Marx, who is incarcerated at the Pima County Jail, submitted the lawsuit against the sheriff in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona on March 5. In his filing, Marx claims his safety was compromised when a sheriff’s deputy allegedly worked between a quarantined unit housing a COVID-19-positive inmate and his own unit, according to documents obtained by The New York Post.
“This deputy was going back and forth working both units … our unit was on lockdown because this deputy was working both units,” Marx wrote in the lawsuit. According to the filing, the deputy allegedly moved between the units—including while serving meals—without properly sanitizing, raising concerns about exposure to the highly contagious virus. “This put my life in jeopardy with their action, constantly,” Marx wrote. “I could have died.”
The inmate, who was convicted of shoplifting in late 2024, further alleged that Nanos and his department violated Article Two of the Arizona State Constitution—the Declaration of Rights—by endangering his safety and subjecting him to what he described as “cruel and unusual punishment.”
The Arizona sheriff was reportedly seen at his Tucson office only twice between Friday and Tuesday, logging relatively light seven-hour workdays. During that same five-day span, the 70-year-old Pima County sheriff reportedly made four trips to the gym, The New Post reported. He was also spotted leaving his $850,000 home in a gated community on the outskirts of Tucson, driving a newer-model Corvette Stingray.
