Former Alabama quarterback Jay Barker was arrested in Nashville for allegedly trying to hit his estranged wife, country singer Sara Evans, with his car. Barker, 49, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was released on bond Saturday evening.
According to the arrest affidavit, police arrived at a home on Norwood Drive in Nashville around 1:30 a.m., reports CBS42. Evans, 50, allegedly left a party at her neighbor’s house and got into a friend’s car for a short ride across the street. As they passed the driveway, Evans allegedly saw Barker “backing up his vehicle at a high rate of speed attempting to hit them but missed.”
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Evans called the police, but Barker allegedly left the scene by then. However, he returned to the scene and spoke with the officers. Evans and another witness told police they believed Barker intended to hit their vehicle. He was then arrested and taken to Davidson County Jail. His bond was set at $10,000 and he was put under a 12-hour domestic violence hold. Barker was booked under his full name, Harry Jerome Barker, and was released at 7:29 p.m. Saturday after posting bond.
Barker and Evans married in 2008. In August 2021, she filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences,” reports Scoop Nashville. Barker did not participate in court hearings, leading Evans’ attorney to ask a judge to grant the divorce based on their 2008 marriage agreement. In the agreement, the two agreed to keep any reasons for a divorce private. “Neither party will discuss or reveal the terms of the agreement, and the terms and conditions shall remain confidential,” the agreement read. Evans has three children with her first husband, Craig Schelske, to whom she was married from 1993 to 2007. Barker has four children from his first wife, Amy DiGiovanna.
Barker was the starting quarterback for the University of Alabama team that won the 1992 national championship. In 1994, he won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting. Although he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1995, he never played in the NFL. Instead, he played in the Canadian Football League from 1998 to 2001 and played for the original XFL in 2001. In 2018, he began hosting The Jay Barker Show on 100.9 FM.
