Robert Baker loses sub teaching job, threatens to blow up Osseo, Maple Grove schools

By Aaron Rupar Thu., Mar. 1 2012 at 10:17 AM

Robert Baker wants to blow up Osseo and Maple Grove high schools -- but at least he plans to wait until students aren't there.

Robert Christopher Baker used to work as a substitute teacher at the Osseo and Maple Grove high schools. Either he was crazy when he started working there or he had a breakdown sometime after starting, because he lost his job in January after making obscene statements about district employees and threatening staff and their children.

That behavior resulted in Baker being banned from Maple Grove school district property, but on Tuesday Baker took things to a whole new level of crazy.

He published a Facebook post featuring a cartoon figure holding what appears to be a rocket launcher. Underneath the image is a caption reading: "FIRST, we'll blow up OSSEO SENIOR. Then, we'll blow up MAPLE GROVE SENIOR."

A concerned parent reported the Facebook post to police after his teenage daughter noticed it. Baker was quickly arrested and charged with making terroristic threats.

In response to the threat, Sara Vering, principal at Maple Grove Senior High School, sent a recorded message to families of district students yesterday. It said, in part:

We take all safety concerns seriously. I am confident that the action of law enforcement, combined with our on-going, rigorous safety protocols, will continue to promote a safe and healthy environment at our school.

For what it's worth, Baker told police that he wanted to blow up the schools when students weren't there. What a sweetheart.

Baker remains in police custody at Hennepin County jail.

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Fffff

He already released.

Ron

It doesn't matter if he was trying to be friends with the students nor does it matter if he has autism of any level...as a teacher (and more so as an ADULT) you are supposed to handle yourself in a certain manner. If you're a teacher for 15 years, surely somewhere along the certification process you learn about these sorts of things.

First, as teacher, especially a substitute one; you shouldn't get too wrapped up in your students...they have parents and well, they can be protective of them. Posting pictures of your students and writing at length about them on your Deviant Art account does NOT constitute appropriate behavior with other peoples' children. I've seen teachers fired for much much less. I can think of several non-profit organizations which deal with America's youth which forbid adults doing this sort of thing with their participants, I would assume the Minnesota School System would follow a similar rule of thumb.

Secondly, As an adult, you should be able to handle yourself in a more responsible way when you are dealt a bad hand. Painting derogatory statements about your former employer across the back of your pickup truck, and drawing pictures blowing up your former employers (especially since there's been what? a school shooting every day this week) is also not a way a 50-something should handle being let go. That doubly goes for taking pictures of yourself with tons of beer next to your pickup truck adorned with Disney characters...I know he's going for the "Waaah Waaah, look at me!" pity party, but in reality it's showing more pathetic than pity. And drawing cartoons attempting to blow up your former employer is best left for the surfaces of a bored middle school student's returned homework, not on a public forum of a grown man for all to see.

All in all he's used a horrific amount of bad judgement in the way he's handled himself since December...and now the chickens have come home to roost.

Former Student

There's also more than that. Don't fling insults at him and call him a pervert, he is nothing of the sort. He's openly talked about his autism and how it leads him to obsess over things, he got fired, they didn't help him. He drew many pictures of different students, it's one of his hobbies, and we, as students love him for it. He made this bullshit district somewhat fun when he subbed. Then again I suppose you guys are all about, "protect my child from the big bad terrorist". I don't really expect much more from a Maple Grove person, you guys should probably learn more about your drug problems or the kids running around having sex and spreading diseases everywhere, then maybe once you realize what a bullshit school you got, you can understand that this man was a positive influence more then anything. Dude loved his job, I doubt he'd ever want harm to come to any of us.

Ron

The Autism card doesn't fly here...he's got Aspergers, meaning he's got a life, a drivers license, a wife and (had) a job and understands the concept of right and wrong. It's not like he was Rain Man and unable to function in an environment outside of a supervised medical facility.

Seeing he managed to have a job, means he was capable of handling such a responsibility...after being taken off his meds and losing it, he could have handled the situation better...he could have filed a wrongful termination suit, he had the evidence showing the doctor botched up his medications which made him go off the wall, he could have gone to the media and ran a public outcry campaign against the school district, but no, as an ADULT, he chose to act like a 12 year old, whining on social sites, drawing pictures of his favorite cartoon characters being drunk and disorderly, as well as posting pictures of himself with several cases of beer like he was in a fraternity and giving up on life in general.

If he can't handle/comprehend the simple limits and boundaries of teacher/student relations as well as the general concept of acting like a 50 year old man he doesn't need to be teaching other people's kids. Again, it's not his condition or his motives, I don't believe he's a pervert or sexual predator, he used bad judgement, things which would have earned a dismissal from anyone else who had done similar, but he chose to handle the aftermath the wrong way and he's paying for it....and will probably end up institutionalized or drugged up into a drooling shell of his former self for a long while.

MG Parent

There's much more to the story. This pervert was obsessing over a 16 year old girl - drawing hundreds of pictures of her and processing his love. This is why he was fired. The threats, etc... came after.