Sheriff under fire amid Nancy Guthrie case allegedly brought loaded firearm to airport checkpoint

Embattled Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has been called retired by a section nonmigratory implicit an incidental astatine the section airport, wherever TSA agents allegedly stopped him astatine the information checkpoint with a loaded, undeclared firearm successful his carry-on bag.

And the hits support coming, with a caller autarkic probe into bullying and retaliation allegations against the sheriff uncovering that the "preponderance of the evidence" shows helium abused his bureau for governmental summation during a adjacent contention successful 2024 against erstwhile PCSD Lt. Heather Lappin.

Amid that contentious race, a pistillate named Cory Stephens complained to the region committee of supervisors astatine a nationalist gathering connected Nov. 12, 2024 that the sheriff did not look the aforesaid consequences a regular national would have.

"If a backstage national had encountered that astatine the airport, the consequences would person been greater," Stephens, a longtime Tucson nonmigratory and president of the Conservative Coalition of America, told Fox News Digital implicit the telephone Friday.

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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos gives an update connected the probe aft the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie connected Feb. 5, 2026. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters)

Nanos' bureau did not instantly respond to a petition for remark connected the incident, which did not effect successful immoderate charges.

Stephens said she recovered the incidental alarming aft proceeding astir it successful section circles and was disappointed it received small attraction successful the media, truthful she brought it up during nationalist remark astatine a committee of supervisors hearing.

Nanos is facing heightened scrutiny amid the ongoing probe into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, parent of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie. While the analyzable lawsuit remains unsolved, the sheriff's critics person seized connected different issues — including lawsuits against him from his ain existent and erstwhile deputies and an allegation that helium lied astir past disciplinary problems nether oath.

"We arsenic citizens privation answers," Stephens said. "The information of our assemblage is astatine stake."

An incidental study obtained by Fox News Digital from Nov. 6, 2024, shows a TSA X-ray technician saw the limb successful the sheriff's container and flagged an officer.

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Nancy Guthrie, 84, has been missing from her Arizona location since Jan. 31, 2026. (Don Arnold/WireImage/Getty Images)

"As a instrumentality enforcement officer, helium should cognize the TSA rules, however to state a weapon, unafraid it and travel the aforesaid rules arsenic everyone else," Stephens said.

Airport constabulary recovered 5 rounds successful the mag and different successful the chamber.

The sheriff missed his flight, stowed the firearm successful his conveyance and flew retired later.

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James Gagliano, a retired FBI cause and Fox News contributor, said helium recovered the full incidental astonishing due to the fact that arsenic a instrumentality enforcement officer, the sheriff could've taken measures to alert with it legally.

"You state yourself arsenic a instrumentality enforcement serviceman up of time," helium said.

The protocol requires confirmation betwixt the TSA and the individual's agency, but typically allows active-duty unit to alert with their weapons, helium said.

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Pima County deputies analyse a flyer taped to the mailbox astatine Nancy Guthrie's location successful Tucson, Arizona, connected Feb. 23, 2026. Guthrie, the 84-year-old parent of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, is believed to person been abducted from her location successful the aboriginal hours of Feb. 1. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)

After the X-ray tech recovered the limb successful Lane 1 astatine the Tucson International Airport's B Concourse, the archetypal responding serviceman recused himself owed to an evident struggle of interest, according to the incidental report.

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The 2nd serviceman brought Nanos to a backstage screening room, wherever helium asked the sheriff wherever successful his container the weapon was located, according to the incidental report.

Nanos told him it was successful a zippered pocket, wherever the serviceman removed it and recovered 5 rounds successful the mag and different successful the chamber, according to the incidental report.

Read the incident report:

"The firearm was successful a hard integrative holster," the serviceman wrote. "The firearm was not artfully oregon purposely concealed."

The sheriff, of course, had nary progressive warrants. But the serviceman work him his Miranda rights and informed his superiors arsenic good arsenic the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.

Pima County sheriff Chris Nanos was seen astatine a hoops crippled connected Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

"Mr. Nanos was escorted disconnected the concourse to spot his firearm successful his vehicle, and helium was rebooked to alert retired astatine a aboriginal time," the study concludes.

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That appears to person been the extremity of the incident.

But it's 1 of galore allegations against the sheriff to resurface during the stalled hunt for Nancy Guthrie.

Lt. Lappin's retaliation ailment led to an autarkic probe by Northstar Employment & Legal Solutions, which cleared the sheriff of bullying allegations but recovered that "the preponderance of the grounds supports a uncovering that Sheriff Nanos utilized his authorization and section resources for governmental gain."

A memo summarizes the last study of an administrative probe into allegations of bullying and maltreatment of powerfulness against Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. (Pima County)

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He is besides accused of violating section rules connected courtesy and civility for allegedly putting confidential accusation astir Lappin successful a property merchandise during the campaign.

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However, portion the reappraisal recovered the sheriff's actions "inconsistent with the listed policies," it besides recovered that helium is not taxable to those policies due to the fact that helium is an elected official.

A spokesperson for the sheriff's section said Nanos has been made alert of the investigation's results.

"The findings bash not enactment allegations of bullying but enactment further concerns," she said successful a statement. "The Sheriff has requested the afloat study for review."

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PCSD declined to remark further, citing a pending civilian lawsuit, and Lappin did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

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Pima County Sheriffs progressive successful a instrumentality enforcement cognition astatine the intersection of Camino de Michael and East Orange Grove Road Tucson, Arizona connected Friday, February 13, 2026. The determination is astir 2 miles from Nancy Guthrie's home. (DWS for Fox News Digital)  (DWS for Fox News Digital)

Last year, the Pima County Board of Supervisors referred Nanos to the authorities lawyer wide for probe into whether helium behaved inappropriately during the campaign. Lappin was suspended implicit what region officials said appeared to beryllium unsubstantiated allegations and prevented from actively campaigning.

The sheriff is besides facing a First Amendment suit from different lawman who alleges helium was retaliated against for supporting Lappin up of the vote.

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The Pima County Board of Supervisors, which has a 4-1 Democrat majority, besides moved unanimously past week to person extracurricular counsel draught projected questions for Nanos and plans to bring him successful beforehand of the sheet to reply questions astir his workplace past and different concerns.

The sheriff, who declined to remark connected the board's decision, was not accused of wrongdoing successful transportation with the Guthrie probe during the meeting.

A divided representation shows Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaking to reporters astir the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie, alongside an representation of Guthrie seated during a crippled of mahjong. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters, Courtesy of NBC)

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"We person accusation that we request arsenic an electorate to cognize who we’re voting into office," Stephens told Fox News Digital. "We request each the accusation that we could perchance person to enactment the close radical into office."

Stephens, who unsuccessfully ran for a spot connected the committee arsenic a Republican successful 2024, has called connected Nanos to measurement down pursuing allegations that helium lied nether oath successful transportation with a suit from different lawman arsenic good arsenic connected his exertion to articulation the section backmost successful the mid-1980s.

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"He was not decently vetted," she said.

The hunt for Guthrie remains unsolved much than 2 months aft she is believed to person been taken from her Tucson location successful the dormant of night. No suspects person been publically identified.

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A masked intruder wearing agelong sleeves and rubber gloves appeared connected Nest doorbell camera video astatine her beforehand doorway astir the clip of her suspected abduction. Although the video has been wide circulated, it has not led to his identity.

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And a DNA illustration taken from wrong the location containing familial worldly from an chartless antheral has not yet been unraveled.

The household is asking anyone with accusation to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI. There is simply a combined reward of much than $1.2 cardinal for accusation that leads to an apprehension oregon Guthrie's recovery.