79 year old arrested after firing flare gun at man serving legal papers

75-year-old female charged with battery and resisting arrest

William James Nash, 79, and Carole Plumley Harwood, 75, were arrested Friday night after an incident involving a flare gun at a Florida Keys home. (WPLG)

CUDJOE KEY, Fla. – A 79-year-old man and 75-year-old woman were arrested Friday night after a flare gun was shot multiple times at a person who arrived to serve legal papers at a residence in Cudjoe Key.

William James Nash allegedly shot at the victim who was attempting to serve civil process/legal papers. A woman at the house, Carole Plumley Harwood, was charged with resisting arrest and battery after she tried to “charge” the victim to knock him over.

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Monroe County Sheriff Deputies responded to the residence on Colson Drive around 8 p.m. after they received reports of shots fired. When they arrived, Harwood was yelling at the man, a process server, who told police that he and a woman arrived with legal papers. The victim said she “charged him, but fell down” prior to deputies arriving. Harwood refused police orders and pulled away from deputies when they tried to detain her.

The man serving the legal papers was carrying a legally concealed weapon and pointed it at Nash while telling him to stop firing his gun. Nash kept shooting the flares, a few almost hitting the victim, deputies said, with one bouncing off the hood of the victims’ car.

The man did not fire his weapon during the incident, but held Nash at gunpoint until deputies arrived.

Nash admitted to shooting at the victim with a flare gun and told them that he had been drinking earlier that night. He was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm and use of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.

Cell phone video was recorded of the incident by the process server and the video was in line with the statements made of the events.

Deputies said when they arrived, the residence smelled of gunpowder. They retrieved the flare gun and multiple empty flare casings.

Nash and Harwood were taken to jail. The reason for the serving of the legal papers was not disclosed.