Nancy Guthrie sheriff Chris Nanos urged to resign after deputies’ union votes no confidence

An Arizona sheriff at the center of the investigation into the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother is facing mounting pressure to step down after deputies in his own department overwhelmingly declared they no longer have confidence in his leadership.

The Pima County Deputy’s Organization, a union representing more than 300 deputies, announced Monday that its members unanimously approved a vote of no confidence in Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. The group is now calling for his resignation.

Union officials said the decision was driven by newly revealed details about Nanos’ long disciplinary record from earlier in his law enforcement career. The vote comes as authorities continue searching for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, who disappeared from her Tucson home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1. The case has now stretched into its eighth week without resolution.

In its statement, the union said the vote was prompted by “extensive disciplinary history” connected to Nanos’ time with the El Paso Police Department, information it says was not disclosed for more than four decades to either the sheriff’s department or the public.

Records cited by the union indicate that Nanos was suspended eight times between 1976 and 1982 while serving as an officer in El Paso, totaling 37 days of suspension. The allegations during that period included excessive force, firing his weapon, illegal gambling, repeated tardiness, failing to report for duty, insubordination, making threats, neglect of duty, and misuse of a police siren.

According to the union, Nanos ultimately resigned from the El Paso department in 1982 after facing possible termination. Officials there reportedly cited insubordination and ongoing inefficiency as the reasons for his departure.

The Pima County deputies’ union also argues that these issues were not disclosed when Nanos later applied for a corrections officer position with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

Union leaders said the revelations raise serious concerns about whether Nanos should have ever been certified as a peace officer in Arizona. They argue that deputies cannot effectively serve under leadership with such a disciplinary record and questioned how officers can be managed and disciplined by someone whose past conduct might have prevented him from holding the position.

The group further claims the controversy has damaged morale within the department and contributed to internal problems such as retaliation and poor management.

In its statement, the union urged Nanos to resign immediately, saying doing so would help restore trust and accountability within the sheriff’s office. The union also said stepping down would allow time for a special election so voters could determine the department’s future leadership.

Nanos was narrowly reelected as sheriff in November after defeating Republican challenger Heather Lappin by just 481 votes following a recount.

His leadership has also drawn criticism in recent weeks over how his office handled the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. Critics have questioned the decision to release her Catalina Foothills home as a crime scene early in the investigation, the use of a private DNA testing company instead of closer cooperation with the FBI, and the decision not to deploy certain resources such as search aircraft or cadaver dogs.

Despite those criticisms, the deputies’ union said the Guthrie case itself was not the official reason behind the no-confidence vote.

Meanwhile, a recall campaign against Nanos has begun. Republican congressional candidate Daniel Butierez, who is running in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District this November, said he launched the effort because of concerns about both the handling of the Guthrie investigation and Nanos’ treatment of deputies within the department.

Nanos has said that if the recall effort gathers enough signatures and voters ultimately choose to remove him from office, he will respect the outcome.