Car crash killing metro woman leads to distraught husband's arrest for eluding

A distraught metro husband and father is fighting city charges of eluding police.

Oklahoma City Police arrested Jacob Collier, 41, at gunpoint last week shortly after Collier got word his wife died in a car crash. Collier never thought he would sit in jail for hours after tragically losing his wife. Besides the arrest, police impounded Collier's truck and cited him for eluding and several other traffic violations.

Collier was on his way home to Choctaw after driving to Lawton to find out what happened to his wife Jennifer Collier last Tuesday. He got a call from the hospital in Lawton where she worked.

“She didn’t show up for work so I thought that was really odd right off the bat,” said Jacob Collier, accused of eluding police.

Collier said his wife was pulled over on the shoulder of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike near Lawton when another car slammed into hers, killing her at the scene. Oklahoma City police said Collier was driving erratically on the highway and at one point was driving on the shoulder.

“I noticed I was going to get pulled over when I passed a cop and he hit his lights,” said Collier. 

Collier drove for several more miles before pulling over on Northeast 10th Street off I-35. Police had guns drawn for what they called a high-risk traffic stop. While in handcuffs Collier explained his situation. 

“I was just told my wife was in a car accident and she didn’t make it. I’m just trying to get home,” said Collier.

Instead of going home, Collier was taken to the Oklahoma County Detention Center. It was hours before he got home. Collier said the hardest part of the day was facing his six-year-old daughter.

“I had to tell my little girl,” said Collier. “I just had to tell her, her mom’s not coming home.”

Collier had a bond hearing on Tuesday and will be arraigned in municipal court on March 5. He plans to plead not guilty.

Police did not have a comment about the arrest.