March 5, 2015

Battle Creek Man Convicted of Making School Shooting Threats

GRAND RAPIDS, MI—A federal judge convicted Timothy Siangdun of Battle Creek, Michigan of three counts of making interstate communications with threat to injure. U.S. District Judge Janet T. Neff heard the case without a jury on Thursday, February 26, 2015 and found Siangdun guilty as charged in the indictment of making three threatening Facebook postings regarding school shootings at Western Michigan University. A bond revocation motion filed the next morning alleged that upon returning home from the trial, Siangdun posted another school shooting threat to the Western Michigan University Facebook page. Siangdun was taken into custody and his bond subsequently revoked by the Court pending his sentencing on June 4, 2015. He faces a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan was assisted in the investigation by the Springfield Department of Public Safety, Western Michigan University Department of Public Safety, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Calhoun County Prosecuting Attorney, Battle Creek Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles praised the cooperation among federal, state, and local investigators in locating and prosecuting Siangdun. “Online threats of violence have no place in the Western District of Michigan. Our state and local partners worked long hours to see that these threats were fully investigated for possible prosecution.”

“Mr. Siangdun posted numerous messages on-line in which he threatened acts of violence at Western Michigan University, including threats of a school shooting. Immediately following his conviction on these serious charges, and after being cautioned by a federal judge, he engaged in the same conduct once again, making further threats on-line,” stated Paul Abbate, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners investigate and address these types of threats with the highest priority. In our continuous efforts to ensure public safety and keep people safe, we will continue to identify, pursue, and hold accountable those who use the Internet or other means to communicate threats of this nature.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay M. West.