Muncie man sentenced to 4 years for threatening to 'blow up' magistrate's home

MUNCIE — A man was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison after being found guilty of threatening to "blow up" a magistrate's home.

John J. Armstrong, 37, of Muncie, made that threat toward Delaware County Juvenile Court Magistrate Amanda Yonally after she did not rule in his favor in a case she was overseeing, according to court documents.

Armstrong pleaded guilty to a single count of intimidation on May 11.

Armstrong made the threat during an April 19 meeting with a case manager with Youth Opportunity Center in Muncie, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The affidavit alleges Armstrong told the case manager, "If that judge doesn't move my kids with my family, I will blow up her house."

The case manager told Armstrong he shouldn't make comments like that, to which he replied, "It's not like I have any C-4 or anything" and laughed, the affidavit alleges.

After Yonally was informed of the comments, she made a report in which she said Armstrong had a handgun out in plain sight during their last few Zoom meetings.

On April 26, video footage of a Zoom call between Armstrong, a Department of Child Services worker and Yonally showed him pointing a handgun out a window from his car. He later denied having one.

Armstrong was arrested April 30 and later told police during an interview that he did not threaten to blow up Yonally's house and that he did not own a gun, adding that the video of him from April 26 showed a BB gun.