Man gets 6 months jail for yawning
 

Make sure you get plenty of sleep before going to court.

Clifton Williams didn't and he's been sentenced to six months in jail for yawning.

"I was flabbergasted because I didn't realize a judge could do that," Williams' father, Clifton Williams Sr., told the Chicago Tribune. "It seems to me like a yawn is an involuntary action."

Williams, 33, attended his cousin's July hearing at Will County Courthouse in Joliet. His cousin, Jason Mayfield, pled guilty to a felony drug charge. As the judge sentenced Mayfield to two years probation, Williams let out a yawn, an involuntary faux pas in such a formal setting.

Circuit Judge Daniel Rozak thought the yawn was criminal and sentenced Williams to six months in jail, the maximum penalty for contempt of court without a jury trial. Rozak's order said that Williams "raised his hands while at the same time making a loud yawning sound," causing a disrespectful interruption in court.

So in a strange turn of events Mayfield, the felon, will be able to walk freely, while Williams, the yawner, will have to spend at least three weeks behind bars for his offending yawn. But it's not out of character for Rozak.

Contempt of court charges are typically issued when a judge feels someone is challenging or ignoring the court's authority, e.g., yelling at a judge, ignoring subpoenas, appearing in court drunk, etc.

But Rozak runs a tight ship. He has charged people who cuss in reaction to a sentencing and even jailed spectators whose cell phones interrupt proceedings. In fact, the Chicago Tribune found that Rozak has sentenced more spectators to jail for infractions involving cell phones than any other judge in Will County in the last decade.

Of the 30 judges in the 12th Judicial Circuit, Rozak has brought more than a third of all the contempt charges in the last 10 years.

"This is ridiculous -- you've got all these people shooting up kids, and here this boy yawns in court [and gets 6 months]. It's crazy," said Williams' 79-year-old grandmother.

Matt Bartosik, a "between blogs" blogger, is rarely loud and boisterous.

Source: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/weird...-52880012.html


what a strict ass judge but none the less lol owned.

only in america such a fucking retarded thing could happen

wow is this for fuckin real? that judge should be jailed for being a dumbass

:werd:

Wow... what a dumbfuck!

It seems like nowadays if you commit a major offense you get a slap on the wrist. Whereas if you commit a minor offense you get harsh jail time.

Abuse of power, thats bullshit. Get a judge that's not a retarded asshole.

But is it a JESUS FACEPALM!!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hXjhQ1_xju...s+Facepalm.jpg

swearing maybe, but yawning WTFBBQ?
imagine the stress the guy went through the night before going to court, potentially being sent to prison very soon, It'd be impossible to get any sleep! thats just not fair

tight ship my ass. the judge is just a douche.

You misread. The guy who got sent to prison for yawning was not on trial for anything, he was just attending the trial of his cousin.

Only in America. The judge is a powertripping asshole who uses his position to make up for his lack of "fun" at home.

wtf. so this guy wasnt even the suspect in question, just someone in the spectators and he got sentence to jail for yawning? wtf lol. America needs to slap that judge in the face.

:haha:

In America...

wow what a douchebag..

The judge probably gets kickbacks from the prisons.

You all seem to assume that it's one of those quiet yawns. For all we know, it could've been those obnoxiously loud scarcastic "i dont give a fuck" cocky yawns. Like if somebody's bitching you out and you yawn as if to say you dont care, etc.

sigh, wtf's wrong w/ ppl

wtf? that's freaking retarded. hopefully they don't have that here.

That whole bit is just retarded, yeah a cellphone that isn't on silent during a trial probably isn't the best idea but to be sent to jail for it?

From what it says here I believe it was one of those cocky intentional yawns, in which case he should be sent to jail for intterupting proceedings its the same thing as yelling