Atlantic City Woman Threatened Middletown Judge And His Family After Getting Jail Time

MIDDLETOWN, NY — A threatening phone call to an Orange County judge didn't have the results a New Jersey woman expected.

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that 65-year-old Yon Renee Woodson-Renner, of Atlantic City, was convicted on May 1, after a jury trial, of second-degree aggravated harassment. The charge was related to Woodson-Renner having left a message on the City of Middletown Court answering machine threatening the City Court Judge that had previously sentenced her to jail after a jury trial.

"A threat to a judge is a threat that goes to the very integrity of our criminal justice system and must be taken extremely seriously," Hoovler said. "I applaud the actions of the judge in this case, for having made the appropriate notifications to law enforcement, and then recusing himself from the proceedings so that there would not be any appearance of impropriety."

The case was tried before a justice of the Town of Newburgh Justice Court, since both City of Middletown Court judges recused themselves from the case.

Woodson-Renner is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24, and faces up to 364 days in the Orange County Jail.

According to court documents, the City of Middletown Court judge had presided over a jury trial that resulted in Woodson-Renner having been convicted of second-degree criminal contempt and second-degree criminal trespass, and had sentenced her to six months in the Orange County Jail, along with surcharges and fees.

On March 23, 2023, the judge reviewed a voicemail message that Woodson-Renner had left on the City of Middletown Court telephone recording system in which she threatened to cause physical harm to the judge, and his family.

The message caused the judge to reasonably fear for his physical safety and for the physical safety of his family, according to prosecutors.

The jury found that the message Woodson-Renner had left for the judge served no legitimate purpose and that it was reasonable for the judge to be fearful of her.

Hoovler thanked the City of Middletown Police Department, whose work led to the arrest and conviction of Woodson-Renner.