Neil Baker, a former UCSB employee who was detained in Washington six weeks ago and held in jail for threatening the university, was released from police custody in Kennewick, WA on March 9.

Baker was arrested on Feb. 15 for threatening violence against UCSB property and staff. He underwent psychiatric care a week before his release, after pleading not guilty and posting $15,000 bail during his arraignment. His current whereabouts are presumed to be in Washington, where he resides. According to a press release, the UCSB Police Dept. doesn’t have any reason to suspect that he will visit the Santa Barbara area.

However, should Baker step foot on campus property, he would be arrested, the press release said.

“[Baker] has been served paperwork that makes his presence on any UCSB property a crime,” the press release said.

The Police Dept. has urged anyone who sees Baker on university grounds to call 911 immediately and has asked the public to disclose any relevant information by contacting the UCSB Police Dept. at (805) 893-3446.

According to a press release, the UCSB Police Dept. suspects that Baker owns a green, 1979 GMC full-size standard cab pickup with A35956X Washington plates.

After working as an engineer in the nanofabrication lab at UCSB for four years, Baker was forced to resign in 2004. He moved to Washington shortly after and began posting comments online regarding UCSB in 2007. His e-mails and comments were brought to the attention of the Kennewick Police Dept. this year when his posts became more threatening in nature.

Aside from claiming that the university represents the “criminal Mafia,” Baker has also posted a number of suspicious entries on craigslist.com, including a fabricated news story detailing a mass suicide at UCSB, comments referring to a 2006 shooting at the Goleta Postal Station that left six staff members dead and images of various university school shooters and text that read, “Remember that kid you bullied in school? It’s too late to say you’re sorry.”

Baker also made a poster with his own photograph and the statement “Remember that coworker you mobbed at UCSB? It’s not too late to say you’re sorry.”

In addition to updates on the campus Alert and Emergency Notification System, authorities will also post the latest news on http://police.ucsb.edu/Web/Alert/030910.pdf. Photos of Baker and his vehicle can be found on the site.

Print