If you happen to find yourself in a Chicago courtroom and start to feel drowsy…don’t yawn!
Clifton Williams, 33, is now looking at up to six months of jail time for making a yawn-like sound in Judge Daniel Rozak’s courtroom last month. The yawn occurred as Jason Mayfield, Williams’ cousin, was being sentenced for a drug charge on July 23.
Rozak held Williams in contempt of court and sentenced him to six months in prison. Rozak, however, could liberate Williams after a status hearing on Thursday, should Williams apologizes for his actions and the judge accepts the apology. By then, Williams will have already served 21 days for the yawn!
Witnesses do not seem to agree on whether or not Mr. Williams’ yawn was out of line.
Charles Pelkie, spokesman for the Will County state’s attorney’s office, said the prosecutor in the courtroom told him that what came out of Williams’ mouth could hardly be called a “yawn.”
“This was a very loud, boisterous, deliberate attempt on the part of this individual to disrupt the proceedings and show disrespect to the court,” Pelkie said. “It was not a guy who involuntarily yawned. This guy was making a statement — a very loud statement — in court.”
Mayfield disagreed, saying it was “not an outrageous yawn.” Williams has written his family to say that he cannot believe he’s in jail “for nothing.”
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