A former FBI agent has said the scrutiny of Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos as he leads the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is a “huge” distraction from the case.
Nanos has until April 21 to answer a set of questions from the Pima County Board of Supervisors about his work history and other issues, either in person or in writing.
Jennifer Coffindaffer, the former special agent, told Newsweek that compiling the answers will take a significant amount of the sheriff and his staffers’ time over the coming days.
“If he is getting good counsel, he will submit only in writing,” she said. “And my biggest thing with all of this is, what an absolute distraction. He is supposed to be leading the Guthrie case.”
The Context
Nanos has come under pressure and is facing calls to resign since The Arizona Republic revealed he had misrepresented his work history on a public resume and in a sworn deposition. The report said Nanos resigned in lieu of termination in 1982 after a string of disciplinary issues, two years earlier than he indicated on his publicly posted resume.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department told Newsweek at the time that the discrepancies “were administrative in nature” and “not intended to mislead or misrepresent Sheriff Nanos’ work history.”
Nanos has also faced criticism over his handling of the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. The 84-year-old, the mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen at her home outside Tucson, Arizona, on January 31 and reported missing on February 1.
Authorities believe she was kidnapped, and in February, the FBI released surveillance footage from a doorbell camera, showing a masked man, whom they called a suspect, outside her front door on the night she disappeared. But since then, investigators have not identified a suspect or provided details about any significant breakthroughs in the case.
What To Know
The board voted earlier this week to send Nanos a set of four questions, about his work history, leadership, immigration enforcement and budget issues.
“It’s substantially going to pull from all of his time. It’s also going to fall on his staff and other people in the sheriff’s office that are going to be tasked with helping him answer these questions,” Coffindaffer said.
“I think he’ll be working every day, all day on these, and writing these up and looking over them making sure they’re correct, if he does a good job with them. I mean really his career is on the line anyway but now it’s even more on the line.”
She said she believes it will take the majority of Nanos’ time over the coming days.
“They’ll probably even work weekends on this, and that just so substantially takes away from the case,” she said.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department told Newsweek earlier this week that Nanos will respond “within the appropriate time allowed.”
What People Are Saying
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department told Newsweek that “upon receipt of any such questions, the Sheriff will respond within the appropriate time allowed.”
Matt Heinz, the vice chair of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, told Arizona Public Media that Nanos must provide a “substantive” response to the questions.
He said: “I believe that this board would be well within our legal rights to… vacate that office and remove him if he doesn’t comply with the statute.”
What Happens Next
The deadline for Nanos to provide answers to the questions coincides with the Pima County Board of Supervisors’ next scheduled meeting on April 21.
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