Ex-Teacher Dubs Florida Shooter 'Hero,' Threatens Officials: Cops

WAUKESHA, WI — A former physics instructor at Carroll University who allegedly called the accused Florida school shooter "my hero" has been accused of threatening public officials in Lake County via the mail. Detectives got an arrest warrant Wednesday for the man they believe sent a threatening letter received earlier in the week, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Timony L. Hoeller, 57, of the 8700 block of 72nd Street in Milwaukee, was already being held at the Waukesha County Jail in connection with accusations he threatened his former employers, detectives learned. Already charged with disorderly conduct, he now faces one felony count of threatening a public official.

In the letter, Hoeller allegedly referenced the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida. A spokesperson for the sheriff's office said it was mailed to the that office, county administration, the office of the circuit clerk, the state's attorneys office and others.

Hoeller allegedly wrote he was "displeased" with a recent electronic filing he made in Lake County court on an unspecified case. He explicitly said that in that letter that it was intended to "scare" its recipients, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Extradition hearings will be held before Hoeller can be turned over to face the charge in Lake County. His next hearing on the disorderly conduct charge in Waukesha County has been set for March 19, according to court records.

The charge stems from allegations that Hoeller was angry that the university would not give him his job back or provide him with a letter of recommendation after firing him, according to a criminal complaint. He was reportedly hired in January 2017 to teach a physics class and lab before being terminated in April.

After he was fired, university administrators told police Hoeller's "actions have been escalating" and they were afraid for the safety of students and staff, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The administration sent a campus-wide alert and banned Hoeller from campus.

Hoeller then allegedly faxed the following note to Gov. Scott Walker, the Wisconsin Department of Justice and Carroll University, according to WITI-TV:

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. lt 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 they 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 assed backwards.

Hoeller is alleged to have told investigators "when schools back mentally ill people into a corner and don't accommodate them, people get killed," The Journal Sentinel reported.

He also allegedly threatened a law firm who refused to represent him, telling them: "Now I know why the Florida guy did what he did. He is my hero," according to WITI.

According to court records, Hoeller has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

During an initial court appearance Wednesday, Hoeller told Court Commissinor Laura Lau he wished to represent himself, WISN-TV reported. He emphasized he was not a threat because he does not own any guns.