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What might sound like a “case closed� scenario for Tucson police and the Pima County Attorney’s Office continues to get attention from both agencies as they quarrel in public over the appropriateness of Hollander’s 18-month prison sentence for entering a school armed with a knife and a gun and making threats of violence.

Hollander entered the gymnasium of Legacy Traditional School through an open door in January and plopped himself down on the floor. He made no contact with students or staff and was swiftly confronted and questioned by an on-site officer. Immediately after the arrest, Tucson Police Chief Chad Kasmer said at a news conference that Hollander “was utilizing narcotics for several days� and admitted to going to the school “to cause harm to the children.�

Later, the state’s schools chief came to Tucson to commend Officer William Bonanno, who was working at the school that morning, for his quick actions. “A lot of people wouldn’t have the knowledge or courage to act that quickly,� Schools Chief Tom Horne said at the time.

The back-patting ended months later.

Pima County Attorney Laura Conover has found herself defending the way her office handled the case.

Admissions made by Hollander regarding his desire to “shoot children� were neither recorded nor made at a time during which he had been read his , which require police to tell people in custody of their constitutional rights before they can be questioned, Conover’s office says. As a result, prosecutors worried Hollander’s alleged threats would not hold up in court.

A decision was reached among prosecutors that Hollander would plead guilty to a misdemeanor for having a weapon on school property. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and 10 years of strict probation. Any higher felony charges would have been much harder to prove and would have been based on officer statements alone, according to prosecutors.

The prison sentence is an “outstanding result given challenges prosecuting this case,� Conover said Friday in a news conference.

The county’s top prosecutor said she was surprised that bringing a weapon onto a school campus is only a misdemeanor. Conover said she plans to raise her concerns with the state Legislature. But as far as the Hollander case goes, her hands were tied, Conover said.

Conover said the responding TPD officer and his supervisor were the first to raise concerns over Hollander’s Miranda rights.

“It was TPD that first said, ‘We’ve got some serious problems with Miranda warnings and some Miranda violations’.,� Conover said Friday, noting that she thanked the detective personally for his honesty.

“That is the gold standard we’re shooting for ... doing the right thing. That is catching errors and reporting them honestly and immediately,� Conover said. “At the ground level, the detective and the prosecutor got it right from Day 1, and understood the major limitations and complexities that would be involved in trying to get any type of conviction.�

Conover’s office has released a two-hour body cam interview with Hollander to show any alleged violation of his rights under Miranda or use of force.

At one point in the video, Hollander unbuckles himself in the back of a squad car against an officer’s warnings and appears to be aggressively handled by an officer. Conover pointed toward this incident as another possible hiccup in Hollander’s prosecution. Further, Conover said this alleged use of force will be investigated.

By the time of his sentencing, Hollander was in a much better headspace, Conover said.

“He has been in custody, stabilized, completely coherent, and talking about how he is going to watch the health of his mind and body so closely so that this never happens again,� she said. “He was expressing his own inability to even recognize himself on that video. That’s going to be moving to any judge in any courtroom— someone talking seriously about their mental health so that such a thing never happens again.�

She said Hollander never engaged with any students on campus, or displayed a weapon.

Tucson police said the department was not notified of Conover’s Friday afternoon news conference to talk about the case and that the department would not comment on her latest statements.

TPD had refuted Conover’s claims that the resolution to Hollander’s case was a team effort between the police and prosecutors.

Chief Kasmar attended Hollander’s sentencing earlier this month. Later, he cited his disappointment with the 18-month term.

“I am disappointed with the lack of communication from the Pima County Attorney’s Office and lenient plea agreement offered to Mr. Hollander. TPD spends a significant amount of resources and time helping our community members living with mental health and substance use disorders. When someone in crisis goes into one of our elementary schools with violent intent to harm children, they should be held criminally accountable for a significant amount of time, in conjunction with court ordered treatment,� Kasmar said. “Thankfully a quick-thinking, well-trained school staff and fast acting courageous police officer safely resolved what could have been another school shooting.�

Conover on Friday said the chief’s criticism only serves to further the rift between police and the prosecutor’s office.

“We are all human. We are all going to make mistakes at some point, and it’s the honesty and transparency and ownership of mistakes that not only keeps the system going, but keeps public trust,� Conover said.

“What a critical time in history where Tucson and Pima County needs to have the utmost trust in their local law enforcement, and certainly, the role of the prosecutor as that check and balance.�