Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fled his home to avoid being served a subpoena on Monday, The Texas Tribune reports.
A court affidavit filed in federal court revealed that Ernesto Martin Herrera, a process server, attempted to serve Paxton with a subpoena for a federal hearing on Tuesday in a lawsuit by groups that want to help Texans pay for out-of-state abortions.
When Herrera arrived at the home, he told Paxton’s wife Angela that he was trying to deliver legal documents to Paxton. She said Paxton was on the phone and not available. Herrera said he would wait.
Nearly an hour later, a Chevy Tahoe rolled into the driveway and 20 minutes later Paxton left the house.
Paxton “ran”:
“I walked up the driveway approaching Mr. Paxton and called him by his name. As soon as he saw me and heard me call his name out, he turned around and RAN back inside the house through the same door in the garage,” Herrera wrote in an affidavit.
Angela Paxton then left the house and got into the truck.
“A few minutes later I saw Mr. Paxton RAN from the door inside the garage towards the rear door behind the driver side,” Herrera wrote. “I approached the truck, and loudly called him by his name and stated that I had court documents for him. Mr. Paxton ignored me and kept heading for the truck.”
Herrera ultimately put the papers down near the truck and told him he had been served.
Paxton spins:
Paxton claimed that he fled the home because he was worried for his family’s safety.
"It’s clear that the media wants to drum up another controversy involving my work as Attorney General, so they’re attacking me for having the audacity to avoid a stranger lingering outside my home and showing concern about the safety and well-being of my family," he wrote.
A judge ultimately dismissed the subpoena on Tuesday.
“This made-up controversy around serving me a subpoena is nothing more than a shameless stunt from my political opponents,” he said in a statement.
