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Man who threatened Vegas-style shooting at call center has prison term shortened

David Seastrom threatened to shoot up a Cascade Township call center in October, 2017 after the business did not hire him because of his criminal record.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A man sent to prison last year for threatening to kill employees at a Cascade Township business “just like they did in Vegas’’ had his sentence reduced this week after his attorney argued the punishment was too severe.

David Robert Seastrom, 38, was originally given a 5 to 20-year term for making a false report/threat of terrorism. It was shortened to 3 to 20 years.

“An error was made,’’ Kent County Circuit Court Judge Paul Denenfeld said. “Your lawyer pursued it and I will say, justice has been done, which results in a lower sentence for you.’’

Seastrom was arrested in October of 2017 after he left threatening messages at Teleperformance, a call center operator with locations across the U.S. The firm declined to hire Seastrom because of his criminal history.

Seastrom left messages, including one in which he threatened “something to the words of ‘I will . . . kill you as you all walk out of work, just like they did in Vegas.’’’

The Oct. 1, 2017 mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip left 58 people dead and hundreds more wounded.

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Seastrom ended his message by saying: ‘‘you don’t even know who you’re messing with,’’ court records show.

He pleaded no contest to making a false report/threat of terrorism, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Seastrom was initially sentenced by Judge Donald A. Johnston, who has since retired. 

Defense attorney Jeffrey Kortes challenged the sentence. He said certain elements of the offense were given too much weight when determining sentencing guidelines.

The Michigan Court of Appeals agreed. In a six-page ruling handed down in June, the three-judge panel sent the case back to Kent County Circuit Court.

Seastrom, now 38, was brought back to Grand Rapids from a state prison in Coldwater for a new sentencing hearing.

Kortes told the judge that Seastrom was “extremely intoxicated’’ when he made the telephone threats and has no recollection of what he did.

“Unfortunately, what he had done, was call the business that rejected him for employment and threatened to shoot it up just like they did Vegas,’’ Kortes said. “And this was after the Las Vegas shooting a couple years ago.’’

When asked by Denenfeld if he wanted to say anything, Seastrom did not discuss the case. Instead, he complained about his treatment in prison.

“I’m a soft target, and not just by the inmates, but by the staff as well,’’ Seastrom said. “They just pick on me. I try my best not to do anything wrong.’’

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