THE sheriff leading the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance wrote bold-faced lies on his resume after being ousted from his first policing job.

Embattled Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos appeared to be the rising star at the El Paso Police Department around 50 years ago – but after racking up a lengthy list of violations, he was forced to quit.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos had inaccuracies on his resume and was ushered out of his first policing job, according to a bombshell investigationCredit: AP
 

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Nanos is leading the search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today host Savannah GuthrieCredit: Reuters
 

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Authorities fear Nanos was abducted from her Tucson, Arizona home on February 1Credit: Getty
Nanos has been under a microscope since Nancy, who is Today anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mom, was abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona on February 1.

There’s been no sign of the 84-year-old or the masked suspect who was seen bashing her doorbell camera right before she was taken.

At weeks drags on and hope for a safe recovery dwindles, the department continues to face serious criticism on whether the initial investigation was botched.

Now, the sheriff has come under fire yet again for his unsavory exit from his first job – where he was dinged for gambling, insubordination, and allegedly kicking a suspect in the head.

Nanos joined the El Paso Police Department in 1976 when he was just 20 years old and stayed until 1982.

He was praised for his bravery in his first few years, as he saved his partner’s life in 1979 and took up dangerous jobs like acting as a decoy for tactical teams.

But at the same time, Nanos was constantly being slapped on the wrist for rule violations and spent a whopping total of 37 days suspended or on unpaid leave.

Bad report card

In March 1979, he was placed on a one-day unpaid leave for the first time for tardiness, according to records obtained by The Arizona Republic.

In July of that same year, he was suspended twice in one week for a shot fired and for gambling off-duty.

In May 1980, Nanos was hit with a 10-day suspension for a “violation of rules and regulations” – but the records don’t indicate exactly what he did.

He was either suspended or placed on unpaid leave several more times after this for tardiness, the records show.

In March 1982, Nanos was put on a massive 15-day leave without pay for excessive force after a harrowing encounter with a robbery suspect.

The suspect Carlos Urias claimed Nanos kicked him and struck him in the head, sending him to the intensive care unit of the hospital.

Urias filed police assault charges against Nanos, but a grand jury declined to indict him, according to the local outlet.

After this, Nanos had a final dispute with the department over taking fraudulent license plates. He didn’t think he was supposed to collect the plates himself.

In August, Nanos was asked to leave the force or face being fired. It’s unclear exactly what caused his firing.

All in all, the cop had 26 allegations listed on his internal affair history card over a five-year period, the outlet reported.

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Nanos has been scrutinized for his conversations with the mediaCredit: Reuters

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Nancy was safely dropped off at home following a family dinner – then vanishedCredit: Reuters

Botched resume

Nanos’ disturbing history came to light after he was forced to amend inaccuracies in his official resume.

The resume listed that he worked at the El Paso Police Department until 1984 – but he was actually forced to leave in 1982.

He had a two year gap in between becoming a corrections officer for the sheriff’s department.

Nanos also put that he was promoted to captain at the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in 2009, but he actually got the job in 2007.

Plus, he claimed to have been promoted to detective at the police department, but there were no records to back this up, the outlet reported.

A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department acknowledged the changes, but merely called them “two clerical errors.”

“Both date discrepancies were administrative in nature and were not intended to mislead or misrepresent Sheriff Nanos’ work history,” said spokesperson Angelica Carrillo.

The department finally admitted to the mistakes after Nanos initially hit back at the glaring oversights with a fiery statement.

When the local paper approached him for comment, he said, “That’s your ‘urgent’ request? You sure you don’t want to go back to my high school and ask why I got swats from the principal?

“Good luck with your hit piece.”

When The U.S. Sun reached out for comment, the sheriff’s department acknowledged the resume changes but didn’t comment on Nanos’ discipline at his first job.

The spokesperson stressed that Nanos “has dedicated more than four decades to law enforcement and public service.

“Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to professionalism, accountability, and the safety of the communities he serves,” they wrote.

“As Sheriff of Pima County, he continues to lead the department with experience, integrity, and a clear focus on protecting the residents of Pima County.”

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Savannah has shared emotional videos begging for prayersCredit: Reuters
 

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Savannah and her mourning siblings visited a makeshift vigil outside Nancy’s homeCredit: AP

Search for Nancy continues

While controversy boils over at the sheriff’s department, the mystery behind Nancy’s disappearance remains shrouded in unanswered questions.

The elderly mom was last seen safely walking into her home the night of January 31 after having a family dinner with Savannah’s sister Annie Guthrie.

The Guthrie family has been offering a $1 million reward to anyone who could give them final answers, but no arrests have been made.

Since the beginning, authorities have stressed that Nancy is in poor physical health and needs daily medication.

A spatter of dried blood was seen on her front porch leading to the driveway, and detectives confirmed it belonged to the missing mom.

Investigators haven’t announced any major breakthroughs recently, but were quizzing Nancy’s neighbors about a potential Wi-Fi outage just last week.