PRESCOTT, AZ -- Sheriff's deputies questioned a Prescott couple after a woman allegedly pointed a shotgun at a process server Thursday.
According to Yavapai County Sheriff's spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn, the official went to the home on L Bar L Road to serve foreclosure papers to the homeowner.
As the employee approached the front gate he was confronted by 70-year-old Robert Leech, who refused to show identification.
As the server dropped the paperwork near the gate a woman came out of the home and pointed a shotgun at him, D'Evelyn said. The woman was later identified as 48-year-old Cindy Fox.
The server left and called deputies who arrived at the home to investigate an assault complaint.
Two deputies reportedly told Leech and Fox to unlock the fence gate but they refused. Fox allegedly denied pointing a gun at the server and told deputies there was no shotgun in the home.
Leech then reportedly headed back toward the house, refusing orders by deputies not to do so. D'Evelyn said that deputies feared Leech would get a weapon and one fired a Taser stun weapon at him. Apparently the probes only struck his clothing and he was able to run back into the house.
D'Evelyn said Fox then opened the gate for deputies and was taken from the yard for fear Leech was getting a weapon.
Leech eventually obeyed deputies' commands to come out of the home and after Fox admitted there was a weapon in the home deputies retrieved a shotgun that the process server told deputies matched the weapon pointed at him.
The couple was taken to the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office where they were interviewed by detectives. They were released and not booked, pending a further investigation, according to D'Evelyn.
The County Attorney will review the criminal allegation involving the process server and YCSO will also be conducting a force review of this incident, D'Evelyn said.
He said YCSO has noted an increase in aggression and violence involving process servers delivering home foreclosure notices. Officials want to remind residents who might find themselves involved with a process server, and have questions about the legal authority of such a person on their property, to contact law enforcement and thus avoid this type of incident from occurring.
