AZ Sheriff Leading Nancy Guthrie Investigation Hit With $1.35M Lawsuit From Inmate

The Arizona sheriff who has drawn national attention for his role in the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is now facing a separate legal challenge filed by an inmate at the Pima County Jail, as reported by the Independent Journal Review.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department have been named in a lawsuit filed in federal court by an inmate seeking $1.35 million in damages, according to Newsweek.

The lawsuit was filed on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona by Christopher Michael Marx, who is currently incarcerated at the Pima County Jail.

An Arizona inmate has filed a $1.35 million lawsuit against Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who is leading the investigation into the Nancy Guthrie case at the local level, accusing him of “endangering his life” when he was apprehended.

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In the filing, Marx alleges that his life was endangered during a COVID-19 outbreak inside the jail.

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According to the complaint, Marx claims that Nanos and the sheriff’s department violated Article Two of the Arizona State Constitution, which is known as the Declaration of Rights.

Marx alleges that the situation developed after a sheriff’s deputy did not properly disinfect himself while working between different units inside the jail.

The inmate claims that the deputy moved between housing units without appropriate sanitation procedures, which he says exposed inmates to the virus.

The lawsuit states that one unit in the jail had already been placed in quarantine after an inmate contracted COVID-19.

Marx contends that the deputy’s actions potentially exposed inmates in other units to the virus and that Nanos did not take adequate steps to ensure the outbreak was contained.

In his complaint, Marx said he feared for his life as the outbreak unfolded inside the jail.

“I could have died,” the inmate wrote in the lawsuit, referring to the possibility that he could have contracted the virus.

Marx is seeking $1.35 million in compensation as part of the lawsuit. According to the filing, he said the money would be used to purchase apartments intended for people experiencing homelessness.

In addition to financial compensation, Marx is also requesting an apology from Nanos.

The inmate further asked that the sheriff’s department adopt additional sanitation measures for deputies who move between jail units.

In the complaint, he requested that the department “make sure that they properly disinfect their bodies when the deputies are working two units at a time, and one of these units is quarantined.”

Neither Nanos nor the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has publicly responded to the lawsuit as of the latest reports.

The legal filing comes at a time when Nanos has been at the center of a high-profile investigation involving the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.

The 84-year-old woman, who is the mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing on Feb. 1. The case has attracted national attention as law enforcement agencies continue their efforts to locate her.

As the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance continues, the lawsuit filed by Marx represents a separate legal challenge for the sheriff and his department.

The complaint now moves forward in federal court as part of the case filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

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