Connect with us

Latest

Pima County supervisors move to oust sheriff leading Nancy Guthrie kidnapping probe over perjury claims

Published

4 days ago

on

TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona sheriff leading the investigation into the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie is facing calls from two members of his county’s five-person board of supervisors to step down amid allegations that he lied about his past record as a Texas cop before joining his department in the 1980s.

Guthrie is the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, and her unsolved kidnapping has drawn national attention to Pima County in Arizona, where Sheriff Chris Nanos is three months into a search for her while fending off lawsuits from current and former members of his own department and trading barbs with the FBI.

“This is accountability for a guy who has evaded accountability for decades and is himself a public safety threat,” said Dr. Matt Heinz, a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors.

Heinz, a Democrat, and the five-person board’s only Republican, Supervisor Steve Christy, both told Fox News Digital they plan to move to have Nanos’ office vacated at a meeting next week following allegations that he lied about a history of suspensions and other disciplinary actions he received in the 1970s and 1980s as a member of the El Paso Police Department.

NANCY GUTHRIE SHERIFF TO GET DRAGGED TO HOT SEAT AS STALLED CASE STIRS UP PAST SCANDALS

They’ll need more support to succeed, however, and it’s not immediately clear that they have it.

“If the board doesn’t want to move ahead with vacating the office, I’m pretty sure that they will want to do something meaningful like a resolution expressing lack of confidence and the referral for prosecution,” Heinz said.

It doesn’t take a majority to ask the state attorney general to look into recently lobbed allegations of perjury, he said. But a unanimous vote would add weight, he added.

PIMA COUNTY SHERIFF NO STRANGER TO CONTROVERSY AS CRITICISM IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE RAMPS UP

If an investigation leads to charges and then a conviction, Nanos would be forced to step down, he said.

The board doesn’t have broad authority over the sheriff because he holds an elected office. However, Christy said members have some authority to act based on an 1873 Arizona law.

That’s because Nanos allegedly missed a deadline to meet the board’s demand to answer questions under oath, the two supervisors said.

WHO IS CHRIS NANOS? PIMA COUNTY SHERIFF WITH 50 YEARS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT HEADS NANCY GUTHRIE INVESTIGATION

“He’s already failed that request. The timeline for him to provide that is over,” Christy told Fox News Digital. “So there’s no going back…It’s too late for that. So we’re into the next phase of if he doesn’t resign, then we will move toward, or at least two of us on the board will move toward, vacating his office.”

Christy added that since all of the board members and sheriff are duly elected officials, both sides are using outside counsel rather than the county attorney’s office, costing taxpayers more money.

“My position is that unless in the next few days before the board meeting next week, if he doesn’t resign or if he doesn’t retire in an honorable fashion, which is available to him, then I will move and I will support any effort by the Board of Supervisors to vacate the office, which is part of the regulation,” Christy told Fox News Digital.

EMAILS REVEAL REALITY TV CREW’S BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCESS TO SHERIFF NOW LEADING NANCY GUTHRIE PROBE

The allegations of perjury originated after a deposition in a lawsuit against Nanos from the president of the county deputies union.

According to a transcript, the sheriff said under oath that he’d never been suspended as a law enforcement officer.

However, records from El Paso appear to contradict that claim. He was suspended numerous times and resigned in lieu of termination, according to public records obtained by the Arizona Republic and later posted to the county board’s website.

SHERIFF’S OFFICE AT CENTER OF NANCY GUTHRIE CASE SPOTLIGHTED IN NEW ‘DESERT LAW’ TV SERIES

Then an attorney for Nanos explained it like this:

“Sheriff Nanos resigned from the El Paso Police Department in 1982. At the time of his resignation, he held the rank of corporal. His resignation came in the wake of a dispute with a supervisor over the towing of vehicles. The supervisor wanted to impose a three-day suspension for insubordination. Sheriff Nanos appealed that recommended discipline to the Chief, who found in favor of the supervisor. Rather than accept a three-day suspension, Sheriff Nanos offered to resign in lieu of discipline. The Chief accepted his offer and Sheriff Nanos resigned.”

The record indicates Nanos resigned in lieu of “termination,” not in lieu of “discipline,” which Heinz said is an inaccurate portrayal. Nanos had been suspended multiple times and subjected to other disciplinary actions for a number of alleged incidents involving tardiness to work, violations of department orders, off-duty conduct and negligently firing a gun.

SHERIFF UNDER FIRE AMID NANCY GUTHRIE CASE ALLEGEDLY BROUGHT LOADED FIREARM TO AIRPORT CHECKPOINT

Although Nanos declined to answer questions in person under oath, Heinz said he sent a “notarized statement” to the board “swearing to the veracity of the report under penalty of perjury.”

This came after the deadline, however, but Heinz said the board will likely accept it anyway.

That may not help the sheriff.

PIMA COUNTY DEPUTY ACCUSED OF KIDNAPPING WOMAN IN CUSTODY, FIRED FROM DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATING GUTHRIE CASE

“He lied under oath to the board about his separation from El Paso PD,” Heinz said Wednesday. “And we will consider referring his perjury to the [attorney general] for prosecution.”

Nanos and his office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

It’s been more than 13 weeks since Guthrie’s abduction from her home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills neighborhood drew a national spotlight to the community.

FBI NANCY GUTHRIE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN AIMS FOR ‘CRUCIAL PIECE OF INFORMATION’

A ban on parking in her neighborhood remained in place weeks after the massive media presence evaporated, and there have been few substantive updates aside from news that a hair sample recovered inside Guthrie’s home has been sent from the sheriff’s preferred private lab in Florida to the FBI.

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

That detail itself led to renewed strain between Nanos and the FBI. Federal investigators had wanted to have the DNA tests done at Quantico from the beginning, but Nanos, whose department is heading the investigation, refused.

Although tensions had cooled in the months that followed, Nanos and FBI Director Kash Patel traded barbs publicly Tuesday.

NANCY GUTHRIE CASE SPARKS CLASH AS FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL RIPS SHERIFF

WATCH: Patel calls out sheriff in Guthrie case: FBI was ‘kept out of the investigation’

“What we, the FBI, do is say, ‘Hey, we’re here to help. What do you need?’” Patel told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on his podcast, “Hang Out with Sean Hannity.”

“And for four days, we were kept out of the investigation,” he added.

SEND US A TIP HERE

Nanos countered with a statement claiming the FBI had been involved in the probe from the start, and he downplayed concerns about his earlier decision.

SHERIFF IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE SAYS NO GLOVE FOUND AT HOME, DEFENDS ONGOING WORK WITH FBI

“The laboratory utilized by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI Laboratory in Quantico have worked in close partnership from the outset and continue to collaborate in the analysis of evidence,” he said in a statement Tuesday.

LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST

“A member of the FBI Task Force was also notified and present at that scene working alongside our personnel. The FBI was promptly notified by both our department and the Guthrie family,” he added. “While the FBI Director was not on scene, coordination with the Bureau began without delay.”

The task force member was a county detective qualified to be part of the FBI Joint Task Force who acts as a liaison between the county and the bureau, according to the sheriff’s department.

ARIZONA SHERIFF BLOCKING FBI FROM KEY EVIDENCE IN ESCALATING GUTHRIE CASE: SOURCE

Federal law enforcement sources previously told Fox News Digital that it took days before the FBI was asked to help.

In addition to calling for the sheriff to step down, Heinz is also urging him to hand over leadership of the Guthrie investigation to the FBI.

“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “Almost every other local jurisdiction would have done so by now. Actually, it usually happens within days because then the FBI covers the vast majority of the cost of the investigation instead of the county or city. So aside from maybe NYC, LA, Chicago, Houston and some other large cities, any other jurisdiction would have asked for the FBI to take the lead.”

There is a combined reward of more than $1.2 million for information that cracks the case. The family is urging tipsters to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Latest

Pacers president apologizes to fans after team’s ‘risk’ backfires in NBA Draft Lottery

Published

17 minutes ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

The Indiana Pacers’ risky move backfired after the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery saw them lose their top pick altogether in a disastrous turn of events on Sunday afternoon.

Heading into the lottery, the Pacers, who went 19-63 just one season after reaching the NBA Finals out of the Eastern Conference, had a 52.1% chance of having a top-four pick.

However, when they didn’t see their team chosen in the first four picks – Indiana also had a 14% chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick – it was time to panic.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The reason? The Pacers included their first-round pick in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for Ivica Zubac, but they only made it a top-four protected pick. That means, if the Pacers were chosen in the lottery as a top-four selection, they would be able to keep it.

But the Pacers were chosen as the No. 5 pick, and the Clippers now own the selection in next month’s draft.

NBA LOTTERY CHAOS: WASHINGTON WIZARDS STRIKE GOLD, PACERS PAY FOR TANKING GAMBLE NIGHTMARE

As a result, Pacers team president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard took full responsibility for the move, apologizing on social media.

“I’m really sorry to all our fans,” he wrote on X. “I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck. But please remember – this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient.”

The Pacers were viewed as a team that were actively tanking despite the NBA’s attempt to crack down on such a season, with the lottery being one way of that. And it clearly worked this time around.

Pritchard was trying to be transparent and honest with the Pacers fan base, but people were quick to jump in the comments to make their thoughts, and gripes, known.

“You lose Myles Turner and add Zubac,” one X user began. “You lose [Benedict] Mathurin and the number 5 pick with absolutely nothing in return. This is why fans are upset, for a center who not even a top 5 center in the NBA. Who trades their future away for Ivan [sic] Zubac???”

Another X user called this a “generational draft,” and couldn’t fathom the Pacers won’t be picking from a deep class.

“If I were a Pacers fan and my team traded away a top 5 pick for Ivica Zubac in the middle of a tanking season I would be beyond devastated,” a fellow X user wrote.

The Pacers were without their All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton all season long after he suffered an Achilles injury during the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But Indiana still has key members of that team returning next season, including Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith.

However, this 2026 draft class is quite the spectacle, with many believing it to be deep considering the talent of BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, UNC’s Caleb Wilson, and Duke’s Cam Boozer, among others.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Continue Reading

Latest

Israeli PM Netanyahu argues public opinion shift on Israel ‘correlates almost 100%’ to social media

Published

17 minutes ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on “60 Minutes” Sunday that the dramatic shift in public opinion on his country could be traced to the rise in social media.

“Israel has gone to unbelievable lengths to get innocent civilians out of harm’s way,” Netanyahu said. “We text message millions of text messages to them—make millions of phone calls to them, pamphlets, leaflets, you name it, OK? We have seen the deterioration of the support for Israel in the United States almost — I would say, it correlates almost 100% with the geometric rise of social media.”

He continued, “And that by itself is not what caused it. And I don’t believe in, you know, in censoring them or anything. But I’ll tell you what happened. We have several countries that basically manipulated social media. And they do it in a clever way. And that’s something that has hurt us badly.”

IRAN-LINKED INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN PUSHES ANTI-ISRAEL MESSAGING DISGUISED AS US VOICES

Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel has made “mistakes” in its war against Hamas but emphasized that they were not deliberate actions.

“Israel is besieged on the media front, on the propaganda front, and we’ve not done well on the propaganda war,” he said.

Netanyahu remarked that even host Major Garrett would not be immune to negative propaganda if there was enough pressure against him.

CONTRIBUTOR FOR FAR-LEFT OUTLET CALLS FOR ‘WIPING OUT ISRAEL,’ SAYS ISRAELIS ‘MUSTN’T FEEL SAFE’

“I can paint you as a monster,” Netanyahu said. “And if I say it often enough, enough people will believe it.”

An NBC News poll in March found that only 32% of Americans view Israel positively while 39% of Americans saw the nation in a negative light. The shift was far more pronounced among Democrats and independents, while Republicans were still largely sympathetic to the Jewish state.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

This shift in opinion followed Israel’s war with Gaza, as well as the U.S.-led military strikes on Iran.

During the interview, Netanyahu indicated that the war with Iran was “not over” yet despite significant accomplishments.

“I think it accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over, because there’s still nuclear material, enriched uranium that has to be taken out of Iran. There are still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled. There are still proxies that Iran supports. There are ballistic missiles that they still want to produce. Now, we’ve degraded a lot of it. But all that is still there, and there’s work to be done,” Netanyahu said.

Continue Reading

Latest

Yordan Alvarez trade talk heats up as Astros sit in last place with a wave of devastating injuries

Published

2 hours ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

The Houston Astros have been one of Major League Baseball’s most consistent franchises in the modern era. Over the last decade, the Astros have the second-most wins and second-highest winning percentage of any organization at 890-627. 

They’ve won two World Series titles, one in 2022 and the other in 2017. Though that 2017 championship is marred by one of the most egregious cheating scandals in baseball history. 

They’ve made the World Series four times since 2017, won the AL West seven out of eight years, and made the postseason eight years in a row. That streak ended in 2025, when a slew of injuries led to an 87-75 season. 2026 was supposed to be a return to form, led by ace Hunter Brown, new import Tatsuya Imai, closer Josh Hader, one of the best handful of hitters in baseball, Yordan Alvarez, and hope for a resurgent season back in Houston for Carlos Correa. 

Fast forward to mid-May, and the Astros are, well, bad. After yet another loss on Sunday, they’ve dropped to 16-25, sit tied for last place in the division, and have the second-worst run differential in the American League.

ASTROS’ $54M PITCHER BLAMES ARM FATIGUE ON STRUGGLE TO ADJUST TO AMERICAN LIFESTYLE

 That’s just the start of their problems. 

Brown has been on the injured list for most of the season with a shoulder strain. Josh Hader has yet to pitch this year after suffering left biceps tendinitis. Jeremy Pena has been out since mid-April with a hamstring strain. Imai went down with arm fatigue after a brutal start to his MLB career, then blamed that arm fatigue on a tough adjustment to the US lifestyle. Christian Javier is out with a shoulder strain of his own.  

Then, the big blow. Just last week, Correa went down for the season with a torn ankle tendon, an injury that occurred during batting practice.

ASTROS STAR CARLOS CORREA OUT FOR THE SEASON AFTER TEARING ANKLE TENDON DURING BATTING PRACTICE

Some of these injured players are set to return in the coming weeks, but it’s raising a difficult question for a team that’s always a part of the postseason conversation: Is it time to sell? The free agent market after the 2026 season isn’t a strong one, and the headliner, Tarik Skubal, is going to miss time with an injury of his own. Could Houston sell Alvarez and rebuild for next year and beyond? 

Bob Nightengale from USA Today broached that topic, quoting a “veteran scout” who likened Alvarez to Barry Bonds. Another executive said any potential trade package would be gigantic.

“He’s the greatest pure hitter I’ve seen in this game since Barry Bonds,” the scout said. “This guy is unbelievable. He’s the best pure hitter in the game, and it’s not close.”

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

“If they traded him, I think they’d get a better package than what the Nationals got for Juan Soto,” added the executive.

Nightengale added that no deal is close, and it remains unlikely, but the Astros would be irresponsible not to listen if such an offer presents itself. Alvarez is, once again, having an outstanding season. Entering Sunday, he was hitting .327/.432/.660 with 13 home runs, good for a 195 weighted runs created plus and 2.1 wins above replacement.

He’s still just 28-years-old, and signed through the 2028 season. Though he has little defensive value, his offensive contributions are so valuable he’d bring back a number of top prospects. And any number of teams would be interested. 

The Mets, for example, are desperate for help on offense. The Boston Red Sox could be aggressive, and have the prospects to swing a deal. San Francisco under Buster Posey has shown a willingness to make big trades. There won’t be a shortage of suitors, if Alvarez is made available. And given Houston’s aging roster, overwhelming injuries, and poor start, maybe he should be.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2026 Political Signal