Chris Nanos, the sheriff spearheading the investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, is facing a $1 million lawsuit. Christopher Michael Marx, an inmate at Pima County Jail, is seeking the payout after claiming the Nanos and his deputies put his life at risk.
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Marx's arrest occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. He claims that the officers didn't adhere to the protocols that were in place at the time, according to court documents obtained by The New York Post.
Marx believes that Nanos' handling of the situation put his life at risk.
"Marx claimed in the filing that his life was endangered after a sheriff deputy at Pima County Jail was working between a unit where an inmate with COVID-19 was in quarantine and his unit, according to court documents obtained by The Post," The New York Post reported.
According to Marx, the officials named in the lawsuit did not sanitize themselves when serving dinner between the quarantined units and the general population.
"This deputy was going back and forth working both units ... our unit was on lockdown because this deputy was working both units," Marx has stated in the lawsuit. "His actions put my life in jeopardy constantly. I could have died."
Chris Nanos Is Under Scrutiny for His Handling of the Nancy Guthrie Case
Sheriff Chris Nanos has received criticism for his handling of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, with the investigation becoming somewhat of an "ego case," critics have said.
"It is a common belief in this agency that this case has become an ego case for Sheriff Nanos," Sgt. Aaron Cross, president of the Pima County Deputies Organization, told The New York Post.
A law enforcement source has since told the New York Post that Nanos' handling of the situation has led to a "rolling spectacle."
"The sheriff turned a serious investigation into a rolling spectacle, from questionable decisions to shifting narratives and a disastrous media cleanup tour that raised more questions than it answered," the source said. "Leadership in moments like this requires discipline, not damage control."
Currently, the search for Nancy Guthrie continues. There are limited details regarding the investigation.
