Fired Carroll University instructor jailed after calling Florida high school shooter 'his hero'

WAUKESHA - A Milwaukee man whose employment as a Carroll University instructor ended in April is now under court order to stay away from campus on allegations he harassed staff and called the accused Florida high school shooter "his hero."

Timothy Hoeller, 57, of Milwaukee, was being held Wednesday, Feb. 28, in Waukesha County Jail on a charge of disorderly conduct. Cash bail is $1,000.

Both a criminal complaint alleging disorderly conduct and a restraining order were issued earlier this week against Hoeller. He appeared before Waukesha County Court Commissioner Laura Lau early Wednesday afternoon.

Lau ordered Hoeller be evaluated for mental competency within the next 15 days, according to electronic court records . She ordered him to stay away from the campus and surrounding areas. He is not to contact any campus staff listed in the criminal complaint.

A not-guilty plea was entered by the court. Hoeller contends he wants to represent himself in court, according to court records. He was denied a public defender.

According to the criminal complaint, on Friday, Feb. 23, a Waukesha police detective learned during an investigation that a Carroll legal adviser believed Hoeller was harassing her about his terminated employment.

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Hoeller was hired in January 2017 as an adjunct instructor to teach a physics class and and lab, according to court records. Carroll terminated him in April.

Administration indicated to the detective "that they feel the defendant's actions have been escalating to a point where they are afraid for their safety as well as students and staff."

A campus-wide alert message was sent that day "regarding the defendant as a person of concern," according to the complaint.

Kevin Kober, Carroll's director of public safety, drafted a letter to Hoeller that said he was banned from campus, and it was delivered to his Milwaukee apartment by Waukesha police.

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After the detective left Hoeller's residence, the defendant sent a fax to Carroll, the state Department of Justice and the governor's office that stated, in part, "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 detective then called Hoeller and "during his conversation with the defendant, the defendant mentioned the school shooter in Parkland, Florida, stating he was his hero," according to the complaint. "The defendant further stated that when schools back mentally ill people into a corner and don't accommodate them, people get killed.

"The defendant was asked if that was a threat against the university, and he said no."

But, he added "they are also more likely to find shooters come on campus when they omit duty of care than doing a duty of care half-assed backwards," according to the complaint.

Hoeller was subsequently arrested and indicated he never intended "to go to Carroll University and shoot innocent people," according to the complaint.

Court records show Hoeller does not have a criminal history, but suffers from a bipolar mental disorder.

The reason for Hoeller's dismissal was not made clear, but the university, according to court records, would not provide him with a written letter of recommendation. Court records show that Hoeller did not possess any firearms.