GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Cody Kooman, who owns Custom Klean Power Washing in Coopersville, saw a 13 Help Team story about customers who said they paid Calton's Landscaping and Lawn Services and the jobs were not finished.
Kooman contacted us and posted a call to action on Facebook saying he and a group of contractors would be willing to help finish any incomplete work.
The Coopersville business owner was soon the target of a barrage of social media posts slamming his business and calling him a child molester. Then he and his family started getting death threats.
Kooman received a voicemail on Saturday night threatening to kill his entire family while he watched.
"If you don't take the posts down, I'm going to kill you and your family," said the voicemail.
On Monday, Kooman got an emergency personal protection order against Aron Calton signed by an Ottawa County judge. According to the application for the order, Kooman believes it was Aron who sent him the threatening voicemail, took pictures of his house and posted negative reviews about his business.
The judge agreed, granting the protection. According to the personal protection order application, Calton is accused of using 30 different Facebook profiles to make the posts.
"Cannot post my business, cannot post my name on Facebook, can't come within a certain amount of feet of my home, my family, my kids," said Kooman. "Can't come anywhere around us, cannot contact us in any way shape or form. Fake Facebook accounts, fake numbers, text free apps. Whatever it is, can't contact me."
Ryan Calton, Aron Calton's brother, sued Aron in court in 2022 for allegedly taking over a thousand dollars for his services and not completing a job. He said he's been talking with the Kooman family over the past week, and feels bad for what they're going through.
"I just wanted him to know that I thought it was ridiculous what was going on with him, and that I apologize for the way that Aron was treating him," said Ryan.
Court records show misdemeanor and felony charges against Aron Calton dating back to 2013 including Larceny and Malicious use of a Telecommunications Service. He pleaded guilty to both charges.