DA Hoovler Details Criminal Contempt Conviction After Jury Trial

Middletown Woman Convicted of Criminal Contempt in the Second Degree and Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree

Defendant Had Willfully and Persistently Failed to Appear in Court Previously

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, Yon Renee Woodson Renner, age 61, of Middletown, was convicted following a jury trial in the Middletown City Court of all charges against her including Criminal Contempt in the Second Degree and Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree. Renner faces a maximum sentence of two years in the Orange County Jail when she is sentenced on July 20, 2022. The defendant was remanded to the Orange County Jail without bail following the jury’s verdict.

Renner was arrested following an incident at the home of her estranged husband in the Town of Mount Hope where video from the doorbell camera showed the defendant attempting to gain entrance to the home without permission or authority. The defendant used a locksmith to pick the lock to the front door and thereafter entered into the home, again without permission or authority. These actions were in violation of an order of protection issued out of Orange County Family Court which directed the defendant to stay away from her estranged husband as well as his home.

After the defendant’s arrest in 2019, the case was subsequently transferred to the Middletown City Court. There, the defendant continued a pattern of persistently and willfully failing to appear as directed in court, even after having posted bail in certain instances. The defendant was eventually returned to the jurisdiction and remanded to custody. The jury trial thereafter commenced and resulted in the unanimous verdict of guilty on all charges.

District Attorney Hoovler thanked the Town of Mount Hope Police Department for their investigation and the arrest of the defendant, as well as the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in returning the defendant to face the charges against her.

“Contempt for the order of the court strikes at the heart of our criminal justice system,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. “While recent bail reform legislation has tied the hands of local judges and their ability to ensure defendants appear in court, my Office will continue to bring offenders to justice and to hold them accountable. I commend the dedicated work of law enforcement to track this defendant down and to bring her into custody to face the charges she was ultimately convicted of by a jury of her peers.”

District Attorney Hoovler highly commended Assistant District Attorneys Bryan Conway and Cassidy Turi who prosecuted the case.

A criminal charge is merely an allegation by the police that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.