A former adjunct professor at Carroll University was arrested for harassing staff after he stated the suspect in the Parkland Florida mass shooting was his "hero."
According to a Waukesha Criminal Complaint, Timothy Hoeller of Milwaukee, 57, is charged with disorderly conduct after he repeatedly harassed school staff after he was fired. Hoeller was attempting to file a civil lawsuit against the school, but a law firm denied to represent him after he said, “Now I know why the Florida guy did what he did, he is my hero.”
On Feb. 23 police told Hoeller not to contact anyone at the university, and to instead handle the matter of his employment in the courts.
Later that day, Hoeller sent a fax to Carroll University, the Wisconsin Department of Justice and Gov. Scott Walker's office that read:
“The shooter in Florida was a hero to me, because he clearly had a mental disability for which the schools were not going to accommodate him. The school where he went eventually marginalized his existence so his only way to success was to use his fascination with guns and shoot innocent people at the same campus. It is not beyond Carroll University to know about how an educational institution is to deal with someone with a perceived or actual mental illness whether they shut [them] out of school or not. One school shooting is happening after another. This pattern is not going to go away. The school (Carroll University) is more likely to be sued for not assisting me in a recommendation, than give a recommendation that misses the mark. They are also more likely to find shooters come on campus when they omit a duty of care than doing a duty of care half a**ed backwards.”
Hoeller was arrested shortly after he sent the fax.
Students at Carroll University have been on alert since Friday, when the school notified them to be on the look-out for a former adjunct professor.
"It's awful," said freshman Sean Schmidt. "We didn’t know what he was exactly going to do and with all stuff happening on TV what can you expect."
"It's kind of scary to think about," said freshman Alyssa Hegemann.
"Uneasy would be a good way to put it," said sophomore Kally Dey.
The university said Hoeller taught at the school for four months in 2017 and was eventually fired last April.
"We had to remove him due to students concerns about his teaching," said Jeannine Sherman, director of communications and marketing for Carroll University.
Court records said Hoeller reached out to the school, asking for a positive reference or to get his job back. Carroll University officials finally called police after receiving the letter stating the florida shooter was his hero. It's a statement investigators say he also made to a law firm and a Milwaukee Police detective.
"With the result of the court hearing today and Mr. Hoeller being held over for the competency hearing we can all rest a little easier now and really hope he gets the help he needs," said Sherman.
His family said Hoeller has problems but would not hurt anymore. Hoeller is due back in court March 19 in Waukesha County.
He has been charged with disorderly conduct and faces a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
