Police: Woman, 58, Fired Shot at Subpoena Server

Shirley Anne Bolton, 58, was indicted this week in the shooting of a private process server at her sister’s house in the King's Contrivance Village in Columbia.

The server had arrived at the house on the 8700 block of Carriage Hills Drive in the afternoon of June 6 to serve a subpoena on Bolton’s sister, according to the charging documents. As the server approached the front door, Shirley Bolton opened it and pointed a gun at him, police said.

She fired one shot and missed, police said. The server then ran and hid behind his truck, while Bolton’s sister called 911, according to court documents.

When police arrived, Bolton still had the gun in her hand, according to the charging documents. Police said they ordered her to drop the gun and after several commands Bolton dropped the Smith & Wesson 9 mm.

Bolton's sister told police that she and her sister had reviewed a video recording from her home surveillance system from two days before, June 4, when the man had also showed up at her door, according to the charging documents. When he showed up again on June 6, police said Shirley Bolton told her sister the man was back and she was going to get her gun, according to the court documents.

Bolton was charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, felony use of a handgun in a violent crime, handgun possession, and reckless endangerment.

Bolton is being held on $200,000 bond.

Update - 3 p.m. - Patch's request for a mugshot of Bolton was denied by Howard County Police. "It has been determined that it would be contrary to the public interest to release the document at this time because disclosure would interfere with the adjudication," wrote police in the denial letter.