Sara Evans’ Husband Jay Barker Arrested After Reportedly Trying to Hit Her With His Vehicle
Sara Evans' husband, Jay Barker, was arrested in Nashville on Saturday morning (Jan. 15) and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He allegedly tried to hit Evans with his vehicle.
As of late Saturday afternoon, he was being held on a 12-hour domestic violence hold.
The 49-year-old former college football player is currently the host of a mid-day show on Tide 100.9, a Townsquare Media Station. The Tide station reports that his bond was set at $10,000.
CBS-42 in Birmingham, Ala., uncovered the affidavit of Barker’s arrest, revealing that the incident occurred after 1AM. Evans is said to have been in the passenger seat of a friend’s vehicle, leaving a party at a neighbor’s house. She allegedly saw Barker backing up his vehicle "at a high rate of speed attempting to hit them."
Barker drove off, but returned and talked to police officers. Other witnesses also say Barker tried to hit Evans and her friend.
The affidavit states that the couple is currently separated. Per the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, Barker was booked just after 4AM on Saturday morning. He's listed under his full name, Harry Jerome Barker.
Barker and Evans have been married since 2008, and together they have raised a blended family of kids from their respective previous relationships. Barker's son Braxton plays football at the University of Alabama, while his other son, Harrison, plays at UAB, and his daughter, Sarah, plays basketball at the University of Georgia.
Neither Barker nor Evans have said anything about Barker's arrest on their respective social media pages. Evans toured heavily in 2021, finishing with a Christmas tour. Per her website, her next scheduled show is on Thursday (Jan. 20) in Orlando.
Evans' romance and marriage to Barker are a large part of her 2020 memoir, Born to Fly. The relationship began soon after her contentious divorce from Craig Schelske (2006), with whom she had three children. Daughter Olivia released new music earlier this year, while Evans' son, Jack, is also a musician and producer.
Barker led the University of Alabama to a National Championship as a quarterback in 1992. He remains the school's all-time winningest quarterback at 35-2-1, per the Tennessean.
*Update: 8:46PM CT — This story was updated to reflect new information from the affidavit.