Crime & Safety

Columbia Woman Pleads Guilty to Assault for Shooting at Process Server

The woman swung open the front door, aimed at the process server's head and fired, according to court documents.


A Columbia woman pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in Howard County Circuit Court this week for shooting at a private process server outside her sister's Columbia home in June.


Shirley Ann Bolton, 59, of the 8700 block of Carriage Hill Drive, the shooter, is scheduled to be sentenced in November, according to Wayne Kirwan, a spokesperson for the Howard County state's attorney's office.

The shooting occurred on June 6, 2012 outside the home of Bolton's sister, Linda Bolton, in the 8700 block of Carriage Hill Drive. A private process server arrived at the home to check on the status of a note he had left on the front door of the residence, asking Linda Bolton to call him back regarding a lawsuit, according to the statement of facts in the case.

As he approached the door, it swung open and Shirley Bolton aimed a black handgun at his head and fired it, narrowly missing him, according to the court documents.

The process server ran behind his car, pleading for his life as as Bolton threatened to kill him, according to the documents. Bolton's sister then called 911 and a police officer responded, ordered Bolton to drop the weapon and after she initially refused, the officer said he would shoot and she threw the weapon toward a doorway, according to the documents.

Police would later confirm the events through witness testimony and surveillance footage. The process server said he had never seen Bolton or her sister before the shooting, according to the documents.



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