Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos answered a handful of questions from an off-camera employee about the Nancy Guthrie investigation on the six-month anniversary of Guthrie's disappearance, again reiterating that no Guthrie family member was a suspect.
Many of Nanos' comments in the video echoed statements he previously has made, but he also appeared to address grievances listed in a notice of claim recently filed against Pima County, the Sheriff’s Department and Nanos that investigators had damaged a man's reputation and the family home.
The Sheriff's Department posted the video to its YouTube channel on Aug. 1.
"A number of issues have been brought up about people being cleared of this investigation," Nanos said in a video that appeared to be taken
in his office.
"We served a few search warrants, we talked to individuals, and we move on, because if the evidence is there we continue that path. But that doesn't mean those individuals are cleared. It just means that we met with them because we felt like there was a need. There was probable cause established through evidence, tips, whatever, and presented to a court."
Just because law enforcement ultimately released the individuals they detained didn’t necessarily mean they were cleared in the investigation, Nanos said.
“It just means that we took a look at something that was concerning to us, and now the evidence takes us elsewhere,” Nanos said.
Nanos reiterated that no members of the Guthrie family were considered suspects.
“They are victims,” Nanos said. “Victims of a very horrific crime.”
The video came a day after Sheriff's Department's first major update on the investigation in months, which included a screenshot of the original ransom note tied to Nancy Guthrie's kidnapping and a follow-up note claiming she had died and was "buried in nature."
Nanos said he told the Guthrie family about the department's plans to release the notes beforehand.
Man detained by deputies threatens lawsuit
The notice of claim, a required precursor to filing a lawsuit against a government agency, stems from a Feb. 10 incident in which deputies detained Carlos Alfredo Palazuelos at gunpoint after he stopped his vehicle to figure out why he was being followed.
Palazuelos was in the back seat of a patrol car as deputies executed a search warrant at a Rio Rico residence where they detained Daniel Maddox, who was home alone playing video games with headphones on at the time, according to the claim.
Daniel Maddox got up after a “bang or crashing sound” and initially thought it was his parents returning home when he encountered multiple men outfitted with military gear pointing guns at him, the claim said. He complied with their demands to lie on the ground before being handcuffed and led to a van where he was held for hours.
Josefina Maddox, Daniel’s mother and the homeowner, later found deputies had caused significant property damage during their search of the home, including a caved-in front door and damaged ceiling tiles.
The claim argues the detective lacked probable cause to obtain the search warrant and alleges it was “obtained through deceptive or misleading representations to the issuing court, was based on shoddy police work, and did not establish probable cause.”
Since his high-profile detainment and labeling as a person of interest in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, Palazuelos and his family have continued to be followed and photographed.
“Despite requests by undersigned counsel, Sheriff Nanos and the PCSD have refused to retract their statements or to make clear that Carlos is innocent and had no involvement in the Guthrie case,” the claim states.
The claim offers to settle matters for $2.5 million for Palazuelos, $500,000 for Daniel Maddox and $250,000 for Josefina Maddox.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has 60 days from July 27, the day the notice of claim was dated, to respond or wait for a lawsuit to be filed.
This is a developing story. Return to azcentral.com for updates.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sheriff defends tactics as Nancy Guthrie case hits 6-month mark
