Pima County Sheriff Nanos placed election rival on administrative leave weeks before reelection race

On October 14, 2024, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos placed his Republican election challenger, Lt. Heather Lappin, on paid administrative leave -- weeks before Election Day and after early voting had already begun. The Pima County Sheriff's Department said Lappin was disciplined for allegedly knowing that a subordinate, Sgt. Aaron Cross, had campaigned for her while recognizable as an off-duty deputy; Cross was placed on leave the same day. Nanos went on to win the race by 481 votes.

At the time, Pima County Supervisor Matt Heinz publicly called the suspension a "reckless and vindictive action against his political rival" and "an attempt to smear and silence his opponent," and the Pima County Board of Supervisors asked the Arizona Attorney General's Office to investigate whether Nanos had violated state or federal law; the Attorney General's Office did not pursue an investigation at the time.

A subsequent administrative investigation into a complaint Lappin filed against Nanos -- conducted by Tucson-based NorthStar Employment & Legal Solutions on the county's behalf -- concluded that "the preponderance of evidence supports a finding that Sheriff Nanos used his authority and department resources for political gain," and separately found he had violated code-of-conduct rules by disclosing confidential information about Lappin's suspension in a press release. Five other Sheriff's Department officials were also found to have violated codes of conduct in the episode.

Updates

2026-04-02 — Arizona Daily Star obtained investigation summary finding Nanos misused office [4]

The Arizona Daily Star obtained a summary of the NorthStar administrative investigation, reporting that it found Nanos used his position and department resources "for political gain" in disciplining Lappin, and that he separately violated conduct rules by disclosing confidential details about her suspension.

2026-07-19 — LOOKOUT reported leaked investigation documents, additional officials implicated [1]

LOOKOUT reported it had obtained the underlying investigation documents, leaked by two people within county government, confirming the finding against Nanos and disclosing that five other Sheriff's Department officials were also found to have violated codes of conduct. Lappin said the finding vindicates a still-pending $2 million retaliation claim she filed against Nanos in April 2025.