Minnesota professor linked to series of bizarre incidents involving urine at university

Macalester College in St Paul, Minnesota. Photograph: Ken Wolter/AlamyView image in fullscreenMacalester College in St Paul, Minnesota. Photograph: Ken Wolter/AlamyMinnesota professor linked to series of bizarre incidents involving urine at universityInvestigators determined professor responsible for urine found on a backpack, in trash cans and in water bottles

A former professor at Macalester College in the Minnesota city of St Paul is facing a felony charge for allegedly spilling his urine on a student’s backpack while he still worked at the school, costing more than $2,000 in damages, according to a state criminal court document.

Paul Fischer, 55, is at the center of the bizarre, alleged workplace misconduct case that led to his being cited for first-degree damage to property – and linked to at least a half dozen such incidents involving urine at the liberal arts college over the course of a year.

St Paul police homed in on Fischer after a student reported that she left her belongings unattended for about six minutes on 5 December in a common area near his office. Fischer was a biology professor at the time. The student told police that she found urine on her backpack when she returned to her belongings, according to the criminal court document obtained by the Guardian.

The student reported the matter in February to St Paul police. Police learned that the college by then had also investigated her complaint – and determined there had been at least six such episodes involving urine at the school’s Olin-Rice science center during the span of about a year.

Urination had been found in trash cans, individuals’ water bottles and inside professors’ decorations, the state criminal court document said.

Investigators determined Fischer was responsible for the series of urine-related cases, and he resigned from Macalester College, where he had spent 25 years working.

Authorities confronted Fischer before charging him, the court document said. He allegedly shared that “during the last one and a half to two years he developed a habit of urinating in a cup and disposing the contents in either trash cans or lab sinks around campus”, according to the document.

The former professor allegedly claimed that he was emptying a container of urine into a trash can near his office on the day that the student who reported him said her backpack had been damaged. He said he believed that the cup of urine spilled on to the student’s belongings, the court document alleged.

The urine on the student’s backpack resulted in damage to both the bag and her belongings inside, the document added.

The student provided investigators with an itemized receipt for what was damaged that amounted to $2,070.

Prosecutors for Ramsey county, Minnesota, whose jurisdiction includes St Paul, charged Fischer through a criminal complaint on 7 October. He could get up to five years in prison as well as a maximum fine of $10,000 if convicted as charged.

A spokesperson for Macalester College on Tuesday said the school “is aware of the criminal charge against Paul Fischer” – and that his employment there ended during the 2025-2026 academic year.

“As this is an ongoing legal matter involving a former employee, the college has no further comment,” the spokesperson said.

Attempts to contact Fischer on Tuesday were not immediately successful.

Commentary about the criminal complaint against Fischer made its way over to a page under his name on the RateMyProfessors.com platform.

“So that explains the yellowish stain that appeared on my lab coat,” a comment posted on Tuesday read.

The comment, which the Guardian could not authenticate, also said: “I don’t understand what motivates someone to do something like this, but avoid him at all costs.”