A judge handed down a six-month jail sentence to a courtroom spectator who yawned during proceedings.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Clifton Williams, 33, was seated in a courtroom where his cousin was pleading guilty to felony drug charges, when he stretched at let out a yawn that upset Judge Daniel Rozak enough to sentence him to the maximum penalty for criminal contempt–6 months in jail.

“I was flabbergasted because I didn’t realize a judge could do that,” said Williams’ father, Clifton Williams Sr. “It seems to me like a yawn is an involuntary action.”

Judges have broad discretion under the law, which defines contempt as acts that embarrass, hinder or obstruct the court in its administration of justice or lessen its authority or dignity. As long as the sentence is not longer than 6 months, there is no review of the case — unless the offender appeals to the judge or a higher court.

But a prosecutor for the state attorney’s office says otherwise, “it was not a simple yawn — it was a loud and boisterous attempt to disrupt the proceedings.”

The Williams family can’t afford an attorney to appeal the ruling, and say the sentencing is excessive.

“I really can’t believe I’m in jail,” Williams wrote his family in a letter. “I done set (sic) in this (expletive) a week so far for nothing.”