‘He’s got to go’: Pima County sheriff facing recall petition amid Guthrie case criticisms

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is facing an effort to remove him from office, as criticisms against his leadership have compounded amid a high-profile abduction.

A recall petition against the Democratic law enforcement leader was filed March 12 by former Republican candidate for Congress Daniel Butierez.

Butierez told KTAR News 92.3 FM he believes Nanos botched the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case out of Tucson and that led to his decision to pursue the recall.

Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing Feb. 1 and since then there’s been only one major lead in the case through video evidence showing a potential suspect who may have entered her home.

She was last seen the day before, Jan. 31.

Butierez said, “The sheriff screwed it up from the gate, he opened up the crime scene before any of the other police departments or the FBI got involved.”

He argued public trust in the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has broken down, adding deputies within the department are supporting the recall.

Nanos responded to the recall effort in a statement provided by the department:

“We’re aware of the recall, and it’s the right of the people. We’ll always honor the will of the people, and that’s what makes democracy.”

The recall petition must be submitted to the Pima County Elections Department by July 10, with a required threshold of 122,211 signatures.

Butierez said, “We probably have 600 at this time, but as this picks up more and more momentum, and the faster I can get all these other petitions out to everybody, the faster these signatures will be coming in.”

Butierez claims Pima County is becoming less safe; data shows otherwise

Butierez also said the Tucson community feels less safe, claiming there have been increases in crime under Nanos’ leadership.

Data from the Tucson Police Department indicate overall crime rate reductions since 2022. Nanos took office at the beginning of the previous year.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department also provided KTAR News 92.3 FM with data showing 2025 has higher reported instances of aggravated assault than the five-year average.

However, other areas like homicide, sexual assault, robbery, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson were all under that five-year average in 2025.

But Butierez holds to his stance that the community wants to move on from Nanos.

“The bottom line is the community has lost confidence in the sheriff,” he said.

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