Carroll University threats: Timothy Hoeller committed again
WAUKESHA, Wis. - A Milwaukee man charged with making terrorist threats against Carroll University is headed to a state mental hospital – again.
For the second time in a year-and-a-half, a Waukesha County judge declared Timothy Hoeller not competent to stand trial.
"He displayed signs of mania," psychologist Jenna Goebel said. "Digressed into fairly irrational and often irrelevant tangents."
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It's the kind of evidence typically presented outside public view, but Hoeller is not a typical criminal defendant.
"It is my opinion that he is incompetent at this time," Goebel said.
Timothy Hoeller in Waukesha County court on May 3
"I’d like my records from LifeStance entered in," Hoeller said.
"The court’s not accepting Mr. Hoeller’s statements," said Judge Michael Bohren. "He has counsel."
Hoeller is a 63-year-old engineer and former adjunct professor with two masters' degrees and a severe case of bipolar disorder.
"He is clearly a very intelligent individual," said Goebel.
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Defense Attorney Paul Bucher asked Goebel if Hoeller is a threat to others. She said she does not have an opinion about that at this time.
In February 2022, prosecutors charged Hoeller with making terrorist threats against his former employer, Carroll University, when he wrote about a possible campus shooting.
On Friday, Judge Bohren suspended the case and ordered Hoeller be committed to a state mental hospital for competency treatment. It's his second involuntary commitment since the charges were filed.
"He’s been there, done that," said Bucher. "Right now, we’re just kind of spinning our wheels here. We’re not going anywhere. I can’t go to trial."
Timothy Hoeller Carroll threats case; declared not competent to stand trial
He’s charged with making indirect threats of a school shooting, and now a Milwaukee man faces a possible mental health commitment, for the second time in 18 months.
Bucher, the former Waukesha County district attorney, is Hoeller's court-appointed lawyer. He asked if Hoeller could be treated as an outpatient, rather than going to Mendota Mental Health Institute.
"He promises he will take his medication," Bucher said.
But for the second time in 19 months, a judge remanded Hoeller into custody. He is waiting for a bed to open up at Mendota.
The last time the court committed Hoeller, it also ordered him to receive medication involuntarily. This time, he was committed to Mendota Mental Health Institute without a medication order. The court said, if Hoeller's doctors deem it necessary, they'll hold another hearing.