Country music singer Sara Evans filed for divorce from ex-Alabama quarterback Jay Barker months before he allegedly tried to run her over on Saturday, reports said.
According to court records obtained by Scoop Nashville, Evans filed a complaint seeking divorce on Aug. 23, 2021, citing irreconcilable differences and inappropriate marital conduct. At the time, Evans also alleged Barker was guilty of inappropriate marital conduct, court records added.
Barker was arrested in Tennessee Saturday after he allegedly attempted to hit Evans and another person with a vehicle as they were leaving a party in Nashville around 1:30 a.m., the Tennessean reported, citing documents on file with Metro Nashville General Sessions Court.
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Former Alabama quarterback Jay Barker, left, and his wife country music singer Sara Evans arrive at the 46th annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas on April 3, 2011. Barker was arrested Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, on a felony domestic violence charge, Tennessee authorities said. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
As Evans and the other person 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,” according to the arrest affidavit.
The passengers of the car and witnesses told police that Barker “intentionally” tried to hit them with the car, the Tennessean reported.
Following the incident, Barker, 49, was booked into jail early Saturday and charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was held for 12 hours because the charge was related to domestic violence. Barker was released Saturday night after posting $10,000 bond.
The couple has been married for 12 years, though Barker has been living in Homewood, Alabama, for the past three months, court records show. They have no children together.
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The 50-year-old “Born to Fly” singer released her latest album, “Copy That,” in May 2020.
Barker led Alabama to the college football national championship in 1992, defeating the Miami Hurricanes, 34–13, in the 1993 Sugar Bowl. The Green Bay Packers drafted him in the fifth round of the 1995 NFL Draft, though he never played in an NFL game.
Barker is now a sports radio talk show host in Alabama.
On Sunday, Barker released a statement on the Instagram account of his radio show asking for privacy “for the sake of my family and especially for our kids.”
“Unfortunately, headlines and quick-to-publish news stories do not adequately capture the full context and complex fabric of our lives,” the post added.
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Barker is scheduled to appear in court in March.
