Judge Jails Man for Yawning in Court

[efoods]As Clifton Williams sat in the courtroom in Joliet, Ill., awaiting his cousin’s sentencing on drug charges, little did he know he would soon be the one in jail.

As Judge Daniel Rozak sentenced Williams’ cousin to two years probation, Williams yawned, an act that earned him six months in jail on contempt charges, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Williams’ father said he was “flabbergasted” by the sentence, the maximum issued for a contempt charge without a jury trial. “It seems to me like a yawn is an involuntary action,” Clifton Williams Sr. told the newspaper.

The court disagreed. While Rozak did not comment on the charges, a state’s attorney’s office spokesman, Chuck Pelkie, said Williams did not let out a “simple” yawn. “It was a loud and boisterous attempt to disrupt the proceedings,” he said.

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