Texas police chief arrested, then resigns after girlfriend said he lived a double life
A Texas police chief who was outed by one of his significant others as “living a double/triple life” was arrested by Texas Rangers on Thursday.
Not long after Jason Collier’s arrest, he resigned as Chief of Police for Stinnett — a town in the Texas panhandle 60 miles north of Amarillo. The City of Stinnett said his resignation is effective immediately.
The events stem from a now-viral post by Cecily Steinmetz, who says she was one of Collier’s girlfriends. She said Collier presented her and his other girlfriend with fake annulment documents to convince them he wasn’t married anymore.
“He has lied to us, our children and asked us both to marry him,” Steinmetz wrote in a post to the City of Stinnett. “He is a poor representative of your town.”
Steinmetz posted the alleged annulment paperwork on Facebook. She said Collier sent her the documents when she found out he was married.
The documents Steinmetz posted do not match any real annulment forms used in the local court, according to KAMR. Judge Doug Woodburn, who presides over the 108th District Court where the form was supposedly filed, told the outlet the document is “a fake.”
The falsified marriage annulment form led to a felony charge of tampering with government documents, according to KVII.
Thousands of people have joined a “Victims of Jason Collier” Facebook group. Numerous other women have also come forward to say they had relationships with Collier.
Collier was appointed as Stinnett’s police chief in February 2020, according to KDFA. Collier had more than 21 years of law enforcement experience and was also an ordained minister, the publication said last year.
“I would just hope that he has learned his lesson, not to deceive people like that,” Steinmetz told KAMR. “I was also apt to believe him about everything due to his position. I mean, I would think that that would be a very upstanding person, and a very honest person. And that is how he presented himself. And I would just hope that this doesn’t happen to any other women in the future.”
This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Texas police chief arrested, then resigns after girlfriend said he lived a double life."