Former Pima County Sheriff’s Department employee Dr. Richard Carmona has some thoughts regarding Sheriff Chris Nanos and the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
Carmona recalled being “perplexed” by some of Nanos’ interviews during a recent appearance on the “Brian Entin Investigates” podcast.
“We were like, ‘How could you open the crime [scene]? That’s not something a sheriff does,” Carmona explained. “It’s the lead detective that’s out there that says we can open this area now because we have made this determination that all of the evidence necessary has been photographed, bagged, tagged and so on.”
He added, “Normally, you lock down this crime scene and you have a log book. Anybody coming in and out has to sign in, the time and everything that says you have to justify the integrity of the crime scene.”
Carmona speculated that a defense attorney could argue the “crime scene was corrupted” by opening it too early.
Carmona worked in law enforcement for several years, serving as the deputy sheriff in Pima County throughout his career. He was also the medical director for Pima County’s police and fire departments. He was also the Attorney General from August 2002 to July 2006 under President George W. Bush.
“You cannot reconstitute a crime scene once it has been corrupted,” Carmona added. “That’s the end of it because you have not maintained the integrity of that space that the detective said are absolutely necessary to discover any evidence that may be germane to this case.”
Carmona reflected on the “worst thing” Nanos has said. During a February 3 press conference, Nanos told the press, “I’m not used to everybody hanging on my words and then trying to hold me accountable for what I say.”
Carmona said a statement like that “makes us all look bad,” referring to law enforcement.
Nanos has been under intense scrutiny since February 1 when news broke that Today show coanchor Savannah Guthrie’s mom, Nancy, had gone missing from her Arizona home.
Earlier this month, questions were raised regarding possible “discrepancies” in Nanos’ resume, including the year he retired from the El Paso Police Department. While Nanos’ resume stated he left in 1984, The Arizona Republic reported he actually resigned in lieu of termination in 1982 following a series of alleged disciplinary issues, including insubordination, excessive force, off-duty gambling and tardiness.
“The Pima County Sheriff’s Department recently identified two clerical errors in Sheriff Chris Nanos’ publicly posted resume,” the department told Us in a statement on March 10. “Both date discrepancies were administrative in nature and were not intended to mislead or misrepresent Sheriff Nanos’ work history.”
Last week, the Pima County Pima County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to invoke a law that makes a county employee give sworn testimony about “the specific duties of their whatever the position is,” Dr. Matt Heinz, one member of the board of supervisors, told The Hollywood Reporter on March 27.
Nanos is set to answer questions about his career during the next board meeting on April 7.
“In response to the Board’s decision, Sheriff Nanos will comply with A.R.S. § 11-253 to provide a report to the Pima County Board of Supervisors. He has always been transparent and will provide a report once more direction is provided by the Pima County Administrator,” the sheriff’s department told THR in a statement. “Because this is a legal matter, the Sheriff is unable to comment any further on this matter.”
