New Enterprise Woman Accused of Firing Gun Outside Bar

An argument that started at one bar and ended in gunshots at another has led to the arrest of a New Enterprise woman.

Maria B. Miller, 54, is facing felony and misdemeanor charges of terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct after police said she fired a gun outside a Claysburg bar following an argument with another patron.

According to police, on the evening of Oct. 6, Miller was at a bar in Newry when she got in a verbal altercation with a man over the reason for the requirement to dial the 814 area code before placing a call.

Police said Miller left the Newry bar and ended up in a bar in Claysburg where the man she had been arguing with earlier had also gone.

Police said Miller resumed her argument with the man and was asked to leave by the bartender. Police said that as Miller was leaving the bar, she looked at the man and threatened to shoot him.

Police said the bartender told them it was approximately 10 minutes until closing time when she asked Miller to leave and Miller told her she would leave but said of the male patron, “I don’t even want to look at him because I’ll put a bullet in his head, and don’t think I won’t.”

Police said the bartender told them that when she went to lock the door, she looked out to the parking lot and saw a vehicle running. The bartender told police that she saw an arm reaching out of the driver’s side window of the vehicle and then heard a loud pop.

Police said witnesses told them that after Miller left the bar, they heard what sounded like two gunshots.

Police said that patrons inside the bar identified the alleged shooter as someone named Maria and that she had given her phone number to another customer earlier in the evening.

When police did a reverse lookup search on the phone number it allegedly belonged to Miller.

Police went to Miller’s home to question her and after knocking on the door for several minutes, Miller came “stumbling out,” according to police.

Miller was taken into custody and according to police, provided a written statement stating she was “very upset and took my pistol and shot it at the ground.”

Miller was arraigned by Altoona Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones and released on $50,000 unsecured bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 4 in front of Martinsburg Magisterial District Judge Andrew Blattenberger.