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August was a month filled with prosecutorial challenges and victories in Pima County that served justice in a series of high-profile criminal cases, a prosecutorial showdown with the U.S. Department of Justice, and the start of the nomination process for this year’s PCAO Community Safety Awards. Your August 2025 Community Newsletter has arrived.
Nominate a community hero today!!
It’s that time of year! Nominations for the 2025 PCAO Community Safety Awards are now OPEN! These awards recognize everyday people who go above and beyond to build true community safety, the kind rooted in care, connection, and looking out for one another.
Do you know someone who has taken action to make our community a safer and healthier place to live?
The purpose of the event is to recognize everyday residents who go above and beyond in their community or their neighborhood to build safer, healthier communities. PCAO needs your help to identify and honor these local heroes.
Examples of activities to be recognized at the Community Safety Awards include:
• Neighbors looking out for neighbors
• Feeding the community
• Providing services and opportunities to youth
• Extraordinary acts of kindness or courage
• Engaging community members in a cause
• Preventing harm before it happens
This event strives to recognize unsung heroes among us who improve public safety and public health from outside the professions of law enforcement and healthcare providers. Awardees will be identified and notified of their selection in mid-September, with the ceremony honoring them planned for October 4th.
To nominate someone you feel is deserving, please fill out this form and submit it no later than September 12, 2025. Nominees will be notified the week of September 15th.
For questions, contact Communications Director Shawndrea Thomas at 520-724-5738 or email shawndrea.thomas@pcao.pima.gov.
Setting the Record Straight
The Pima County Attorney’s Office released over two hours of body-worn camera video from Tucson police officers who responded to an armed man discovered inside a local school on January 16, 2025, along with a slide presentation that was made to TPD to clarify misinformation regarding a plea agreement made in the case.
News reports on PCAO’s decision to offer a plea agreement to Daniel Hollander after he was found inside the gymnasium at Legacy Traditional School in Tucson mischaracterized the events of that day, which created potential legal obstacles for successful prosecution.
Reports on the case were based on selected clips from the TPD officers’ body-worn cameras, omitting portions of the recording that support PCAO’s reasoning for offering a plea bargain rather than going to trial.
Prosecutors in the case prepared a PowerPoint presentation to clarify with TPD why the plea deal was offered, and Pima County Attorney Laura Conover requested that Tucson Police join our office in correcting the information that had previously been made available. Tucson Police leadership declined our request to clarify the situation.
At issue are potential legal problems related to Hollander’s Miranda rights and the video that shows potential excessive use of force against Hollander.
These issues, and the near certainty that a judge would disallow the defendant’s statements in trial, were major considerations in the decision to make a plea offer.
Another important point in the case is that Arizona law makes having a firearm on school property a misdemeanor crime. County Attorney Conover pledges to work with state lawmakers to change it to a felony offense.
To view a news release, the body-worn camera footage, and the presentation by prosecutors, click here.
Hollander’s encounter with TPD
More Prosecutorial Challenges
Other high-profile cases made headlines throughout the month.
Our office launched a legal fight with the federal government in pursuit of justice for the victims of a suspected gunman arrested in a series of crimes in June that included the shooting death of 70-year-old Ricky Miller Sr.
In an unprecedented move, the suspect, Julio Cesar Aguirre, was taken by federal agents while he was recovering from wounds in a local hospital.
Despite an agreement with local law enforcement to take Aguirre, who federal authorities say was in the country illegally, to the Pima County Jail to await trial, federal agents took him to Pinal County to be held while awaiting federal prosecution for alleged gun violations. This resulted in denying PCAO the opportunity to prosecute him on the first-degree murder charge and other more serious violations than the federal charges.
Not only does this unprecedented move affect Miller’s case, but it also has an impact on how PCAO prosecutors can move forward in finding justice for all the other victims in the case. Those victims include six other individuals who are not part of the federal case, three of whom are in their 70s, making early preservation of their testimony especially important.
In response, PCAO filed suit against a host of high-ranking officials in the Trump Administration to gain access to Aguirre and secure evidence needed to deliver justice to the victims of the crime spree.
“Arizonans have very strong victims’ rights, guaranteeing them a prompt resolution. To take this suspect away, to score political points about undocumented immigrants with criminal records, and to make our victims wait for years, if ever, to have their day in court, is truly shocking,” Conover said in a news release. “It’s an interference with state’s rights and victim’s rights, such as no one locally can remember.”
Click here to see the PCAO news release.
Winning Cases/Justice Alerts
PCAO had a list of successful prosecutions, including several wins in first-degree murder cases and a stiff sentence in a school bomb threat case, and several child abuse cases.
In a single week this month, our prosecutors won convictions in numerous first-degree murder jury trials. Those courtroom victories included:
Justice Alerts and Civil Pulse
PCAO wants to make sure the community knows about how hard our prosecutors work to get justice for victims in our community. Because of this, we regularly release what we call “Justice Alerts” to keep you in the loop when it comes to secured convictions on cases that come to our office. We also recognize the work and contributions of our team in the Civil Division in “Civil Pulse” announcements to highlight how they represent the interests of Pima County.
Earlier in August, PCAO Detective Phillip Young found himself in the right place and on solid ground when a theft suspect was fleeing arrest by Tucson Police in downtown Tucson.
Police responded to a fight inside the Joel Valdez Library in downtown Tucson that began when one man tried to steal another man’s laptop computer. But as officers were investigating, the suspect ran off with officers in pursuit.
Detective Young had just exited the Pima County Legal Services Building, located across the intersection of Stone Avenue and Pennington Street from the library. When he heard the commotion and saw the suspect running in his direction, he stepped in front of the fleeing man and stopped him in his tracks.
Tucson Police officers took the man into custody and thanked our detective for his assistance.
A Listening Session and Town Hall
On August 21, 2025, Laura held a town hall meeting alongside Ward 2 Councilman Paul Cunningham and Tucson Police Department Captain Matt Brady. The group discussed issues and answered questions surrounding public safety, as well as concerns at Udall Park raised by the Sabino Canyon Little League. Nearly 80 people packed the room to learn more about how the County Attorney and law enforcement will address crime issues in the area.
Getting a Second Chance
Earlier in the month, Laura made a stop at the 10th Annual Second Chance Reentry Job and Resource Fair at the TCC to talk to and connect with community members who are reintegrating into society about the challenges they face. It was also an opportunity to acknowledge employers who have extended their reach to provide second chances to those in need.
Hundreds attended the resource fair and were able to get help with their resumes and applications. Volunteers, employers, and resource providers came together to make the event a success. There were over 450 job seekers, 35 employers, and more than 50 community resources available to offer support.
Future Attorneys in Training
Laura held a special meeting with law students from both the U of A and ASU. The group is part of the Arizona Prosecuting Attorney’s Advisory Council (APAAC) Academy. The academy is designed to give law students an immersive experience of what it’s really like to be a prosecutor. Our Chief Criminal Deputy, Josh Moser, also shared his wisdom about how his division operates.
Victim Services Volunteer Training
PCAO’s pioneering Victim Services Division is offering training to prepare future victim advocate volunteers in crisis intervention and providing a host of other services to victims of crime in Pima County. Now in its 50th year of supporting crime victims and establishing best practices that have been adopted coast to coast, the Victim Services Division is looking for new volunteer advocates to continue the strong tradition of victim support in our community.
We recruit legal researchers, litigators, and professional staff who use their unique talents to move our Office forward. You’re invited to apply to work for a progressive prosecuting agency that values accountability, public service, and outcome-driven thinking.
We offer excellent work-life balance, great incentives, and a generous benefits package, including:
All open PCAO positions APPLY HERE
There are a variety of positions to apply for at PCAO
Hear from our first batch of San Miguel H.S. student interns who spent an entire year at PCAO learning from various departments. They shared their thoughts about what they learned throughout the year. All of our interns were freshmen.
Here’s a look at some of the links to social media and podcast messages we’ve shared throughout the year.
All Podcast episodes are available here:
https://thepeoplesofficepodcast.podbean.com/
Social Media Posts:
Second Chance Event
Two PCAO veterans, Shaun Pfund, and Babette McDonald, are retiring and heading to the next chapter of their lives. Shaun is leaving our detectives bureau and closing out his 40-year career in law enforcement. He’s headed to Texas to spend more time with his family, travel, and work on some cool projects.
Shaun has worked for the Pima County Attorney’s Office, the Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department, and other county entities. Including the Sierra Vista Police Department, Oro Valley Police Department, Tucson Police Department, and Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
Meanwhile, our 88-Crime Director Babette McDonald is wrapping up 32 years of service at the Pima County Attorney’s Office. She has also had roles in our Child Support Enforcement, Diversion, and Victim Services Divisions. She’s looking forward to spending time with her family as she starts her new journey of traveling the world. Babette says she’s proud of what she’s been a part of at PCAO.
The PCAO Community Newsletter is published and distributed monthly.
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