Ex-Macalester College professor charged after urine spill on student’s backpack

Ex-Macalester College professor charged after urine spill on student’s backpack Sabrina Salguero Del Cid KSTP Macalester College in St. Paul (KSTP) A former Macalester College professor was charged Wednesday after authorities said he damaged a student’s backpack and belongings by spilling his urine on them.Court records show 55-year-old Paul Fischer was charged with first-degree property damage.A student reported the incident after studying at Macalester’s Olin-Rice Science Center on Dec. 5, 2025. She told authorities she left her table for about six minutes and returned to find urine on her backpack.Court records show the student suspected Fischer was responsible because he was the only person nearby at the time.During the investigation, St. Paul police learned Macalester Public Safety had investigated several reports involving urine found around campus.Between November 2024 and December 2025, the science center received six reports, including urine found in trash cans, water bottles, and inside professors’ decorations.Authorities interviewed Fischer, who said he had been a professor at the college for 25 years. He told police he developed a habit during the last one and a half to two years of urinating into a cup and disposing of it in trash cans or laboratory sinks on campus.Fischer then told authorities he was emptying a container of urine into a trash can near his office and believed it spilled onto the student’s belongings, the complaint said.The student submitted receipts showing her backpack and the damaged items inside. The total loss was estimated at $2,070.Fischer resigned while the college’s investigation was underway, according to a criminal complaint.Macalester College provided the following statement to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS:“Macalester College is aware of the criminal charge against Paul Fischer. Fischer’s employment with Macalester ended during the 2025–26 academic year.”