NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former Alabama quarterback Jay Barker was arrested in Nashville early Saturday after allegedly attempting to strike two people with a vehicle, according to court documents.
Barker, 49, was charged with one count of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and court records indicate that he was ordered held for 12 hours because the charge is related to “domestic violence,” The Tennessean reported.
Update 3:03 p.m. EST Jan. 16: Tennessee court records indicate that country singer Sara Evans filed for divorce from Barker in August after 12 years of marriage.
The records, published Sunday by Scoop Nashville, also stated at that time that Barker had lived in Homewood, Alabama, - separately from Evans - for at least three months prior to the filing and that Evans sought the divorce due to irreconcilable differences and “inappropriate marital conduct,” AL.com reported.
According to Scoop Nashville, citing court documents, the couple entered into an agreement at the time of their wedding which stated “the actual reasons for divorce shall be kept private to the extent possible” and “neither party will discuss or reveal the terms of the agreement, and the terms and conditions shall remain confidential.”
Authorities have not publicly identified the occupants of the vehicle that Barker is accused of attempting to ram early Saturday morning.
Original report: Barker, whose full name is Harry Jerome Barker, was released from the Davidson County Jail just before 7:30 p.m. after posting $10,000 bond, AL.com reported.
Barker, who led Alabama to a national title in 1992 and finished 5th in the 1994 Heisman Trophy voting, has been married to country singer Sara Evans since 2008.
According to The Tennessean, documents on file with the Metro Nashville General Sessions Court stated that the people in the vehicle allegedly struck by Barker were leaving a party at around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. As they pulled into the driveway of a nearby home, Barker allegedly reversed his vehicle “at a high rate of speed attempting to hit them, but missed,” the arrest affidavit stated.
Police have not publicly identified the occupants of the vehicle that was struck.
The passengers of the vehicle and an undetermined number of unnamed witnesses told police that Barker “intentionally” tried to strike them, The Tennessean reported.
Barker was a fifth-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 1995 NFL Draft, but he was cut from the roster. He also spent time as a back-up with both the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers, but he never played in a regular season game, and ended his football career with the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the original XFL, AL.com reported.
Barker currently hosts a radio show carried on 100.9 FM in Tuscaloosa, The Tennessean reported.
A court date is set for March 22, AL.com reported.