Arizona Inmate Files $1.35M Lawsuit Against Sheriff Over Alleged COVID-19 Protocol Breach at Pima County Jail

A prisoner in Arizona has filed a $1.35 million lawsuit against Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, alleging that the sheriff and his department endangered his life through a breach of COVID-19 protocols at the Pima County Jail. The lawsuit, filed by 54-year-old inmate Christopher Michael Marx on March 5, claims that a sheriff's deputy failed to disinfect himself while moving between a quarantined unit—where an inmate had contracted COVID-19—and Marx's unit. Marx's legal filing, obtained by the *Daily Mail*, asserts that this negligence put him at risk of infection and death. He wrote that the deputy's actions 'constantly' jeopardized his safety, citing the deputy's failure to follow basic hygiene procedures, including not disinfecting hands or properly handling meals between the two units. Marx also accused Nanos of failing to enforce protocols, writing that the sheriff's inaction left him 'in harm's way' and demanded an apology. The lawsuit specifically names Nanos and the Pima County Sheriff's Department, accusing them of violating the Declaration of Rights and subjecting him to 'cruel and unusual punishment.'

The case comes amid mounting scrutiny over Nanos' handling of the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie. Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home on February 1, with investigators discovering blood on her porch and footage of a masked figure wearing black latex gloves, a backpack, and a holstered gun. The FBI released the doorbell camera footage, revealing a suspect described as a man of average build, approximately 5'9