Facebook/Stinnett Police Department Jason Collier, pictured with Cecily Steinmetz, is a married father of four and the police chief in Stinnett, Texas.
Jason Collier is the chief of the Stinnett Police Department in Texas who was put on leave after a Facebook post from a woman who says she was unknowingly his mistress accused him of living a “double/triple life” with at least two girlfriends while he is married with four children. The Facebook post quickly went viral, spreading throughout Collier’s small northern Texas Panhandle city of 1,800 people and across the internet.
Collier was arrested on January 28 by the Texas Rangers and booked into the Hutchinson County Jail, records show. Hutchinson County Sheriff Blaik Kemp told MyHighPlains.com the embattled and suspended police chief was charged with tampering with a government record with the intent to defraud or harm. His wife has filed for divorce, according to her attorneys.
Cecily Steinmetz, a 39-year-old Amarillo woman, first exposed Collier in a January 26 post on Facebook. Steinmetz tagged the city of Stinnett (adding that she “doesn’t recommend” the city) and wrote, “Chief Jason Collier is living a double/triple life. I was his girlfriend until yesterday. He lied to me and presented me with fake annulment documents when I found out he was married. I also found out about a 2nd girlfriend, Kristi, last night. He has lied to us, our children, and asked us both to marry him.”
Hutchinson County JailJason Collier in his mugshot photo.
Steinmetz added, “He is a poor representative of your town. He would also visit me in Amarillo when he was on shift.” Steinmetz said she and Collier returned from vacation in Taos, New Mexico, on Saturday, January 23, and had told another one of his girlfriends he was on a work assignment in Portland, Oregon. In the comments on Steinmetz’s post, a third woman came forward to say she was also dating Collier, and other women have said they have had similar experiences with him.
The 41-year-old Collier has not commented about the accusations against him. But the city of Stinnett issued a statement on January 27 saying it “is aware of the current situation surrounding” the chief. The statement was posted to the city’s Facebook page. The Stinnett Police Department’s Facebook page and Collier’s personal profile have been deleted.
“The city is taking this seriously and will be looking into any violations of city policy. Chief Jason Collier has been placed on leave while the city investigations,” the statement from city manager Durk Downs said. “As per city policy, we will refrain from commenting on any personal issues of personnel in a public forum.”
According to a Facebook post from Steinmetz on January 28, Collier has resigned from the police department and the charge he is facing is a state jail felony. According to Texas state law, a person convicted of a state jail felony faces 180 days to 2 years behind bars and a fine of up to $10,000.
Here’s what you need to know about Stinnett Police Chief Jason Collier and the accusations against him and the Facebook drama surrounding him:
1. Collier Wished a Happy Anniversary to His Wife in a September Facebook Post, Saying, ‘I Fall Short Daily of Being the Godly Husband’
FacebookJason Collier with his wife.
Collier has been married twice and has two children, two with his ex-wife, and is also stepfather to the two children of his current wife, Opal Collier. In September 2020, he wrote a post on Facebook wishing his wife a happy anniversary. Collier’s wife has not commented about the Facebook drama. They have been married since 2016.
“Happy anniversary to my beautiful bride! I couldn’t imagine doing this life without you,” Collier wrote in his now-deleted September 3, 2020, post. “I know I fall short daily of being the Godly husband, but know I will work hard to be the man you deserve! God has blessed me with you and I can’t wait to see what all He has in the works for us! Thank you for loving me, sacrificing for us, and walking this life beside me! I love you … Here’s to many more years and memories to come!”
According to Steinmetz, she confronted Collier about being married and he tried to play it off by saying his marriage was annulled in 2016. Steinmetz wrote on Facebook, “he even provided me with a picture of a falsified document, which I have verified with Potter County to be invalid.”
Steinmetz wrote on Facebook on January 26, “Chief Jason Collier worked his way into my life, the life ofmy children and family. Spent the weekend with me on vacation in Taos this past weekend. Told me all weekend how he can’t wait to marry me. Turns out, I’m not the only one. He also has a girlfriend in Kansas who he also had asked to marry him. All of this, PLUS a wife at home he claims to have split with in 2016.”
She added, “He took me on shift with him last week as well, but wouldn’t introduce me to the ladies in the office since according to him, ‘they’re b****** and one is mad I won’t date her sister.’ Everything he told me and my family is a lie and is a poor representation of your town. He clearly has no morals or ethics. He has also driven to visit me in Amarillo while on shift in his police vehicle. Not only has he hurt me, he has hurt my children with his lies … The jig is up, Jason.”
Steinmetz added, “So anyway, I hope this serves as a warning to anyone else he is lying to and manipulating. I feel stupid having this made public, but will take the embarrassment if it saves anyone else from the heartache.”
2. Collier Worked for Several Police Departments in Texas Before Being Hired as Stinnett’s Police Chief in February 2020
FacebookJason Collier was sworn-in as Stinnett Police Chief by Judge Yadi Rodriguez in February 2020.
Jason Brent Collier has worked for several Texas police departments in numerous positions, including as an officer, a detective and briefly as the chief of police of the Sunray Police Department. He has more than 21 years of law enforcement experience and was named as the Stinnett Police Department chief in February 2020. The Hutchinson County department has three other full-time police officers and three reserve officers.
In a Facebook post announcing the hiring of Collier, the department wrote, “We are excited to announce our NEW Chief of Police, Jason Collier. Chief Collier comes from Borger Police Department where he was a Sergeant. Chief Collier is Married with 4 children, Ordained minister, 21 years law enforcement, FBI-LEEDA Trilogy graduate, TCOLE instructor, Master police officer, State of Texas Medal of Valor recipient.”
That Facebook post was updated in November 2020 to remove the reference to Collier being married, according to screenshots posted by Steinmetz. The entire Facebook page for the department was later taken down on January 27.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Collier worked as a deputy sheriff with the Gray County Sheriff’s Department from January 2016 to June 2016. He then worked as a customer experience supervisor for Greyhound Lines Inc. before being hired as an officer in Borger. He was the chief of police in Sunray, Texas, from October 2015 to January 2016, was a detective with the Pampa Police Department from 2010 to 2015 and was the chief of the Ralls Police Department from 2008 to 2010. He also worked as a lieutenant with the Friona Police Department.
Collier completed the Texas Police Chief’s Association’s Developing Leaders for Texas Law Enforcement training program in 2015, studied at Amarillo College’s basic peace officer academy from 2000 to 2001 and graduated from Hereford High School in 1998.
In October 2015, he was awarded a medal of valor while working in Pampa, according to ABC 7 Amarillo. Collier and two other officers helped save another officer after he was shot during a standoff. Collier helped drag the wounded officer to safety.
“That day will be a day I remember for the rest of my life to see my brother get hurt,” Collier told the news station.
FacebookJason Collier, second from left, at a 2016 ceremony where he was awarded the medal of valor.
Along with his work as a police officer, Collier was also on the board of a Texas-based religious organization, “Our Brothers Keeper,” that focus on police officers and other first responders and was founded by a fellow police officer, Weslee Bolton. Collier’s wife was also on the board of the organization. Bolton said on Facebook both have been asked to step down.
“Without going into great detail or addressing any comments, concerns, or rumors I have been made aware of an ongoing situation involving two members that have asked to step down from the board of directors,” Bolton wrote in a January 27 Facebook post. “I will not address any specific questions or entertain any questions regarding these matters.”
3. Collier’s Girlfriends Compared Stories About Him, Including Videos & Photos He Had Sent Them & Excuses He Made for Why He Was Away, on Steinmetz’s Facebook Page
FacebookJason Collier pictured in his Plenty of Fish dating site profile.
Steinmetz posted a Facebook photo on January 18 with Collier. The comments on the photo start our with typical messages from friends. One wrote, “Beautiful couple❤️❤️.” Another said, “Look at y’all!” But on January 25, Steinmetz commented on her own post, “Oh hey…. might want to make sure mutual friends don’t know your WIFE.”
Another woman, Kristi Shaffer, then began commenting saying she had also been dating Collier and believed he was only dating her. She said they had been engaged since December 2020. Steinmetz and Shaffer then began comparing excuses he gave them for why he was away, and learned that he was often with them or another woman, or his wife, on those occasions. Steinmetz and Shaffer commented that he would say he was working on special police assignments, like at the protests in Portland or the aftermath of the Christmas Day downtown Nashville bombing.
“He claims to have a side job with the government going to riots/national emergencies,” Steinmetz said on Facebook.
Steinmetz wrote, “Wow, weekend of the 16th. He told me he was in Lubbock helping his disabled brother.” Shaffer replied, “Wait…his brother is disabled?!?!??! … Nope we were in wichita…he broke his window at my home and we went to get it fixed.” Steinmetz replied, “oh wow! He told ME that his son shut the door and broke the window,” to which Shaffer said, “my son did!!!!!!! The glass is still in my front yard.”
Steinmetz and Shaffer also both discovered Collier had bought each of them the same gift: a coffee maker. “He wanted to buy me a coffee maker as a wedding gift!!!!! At Target with my kids,” Shaffer wrote. Steinmetz said, “he just brought up getting a coffee maker for my house on Sunday since I don’t drink coffee and he does.”
A third woman has also come forward to say she was also dating Collier, while other women said they had similar experiences meeting him on dating apps, like Plenty of Fish. Steinmetz posted a screenshot of Collier’s dating profile.
“Looking for friendship and then more from there,” Collier wrote on his Plenty of Fish page. “Not looking for a hook up. Sincere conversation, building trust and relationship first. Looking forward to hearing from you!”
Another woman said Collier’s behavior dates back to 2007. Angie Cogdill Bowman posted on the city of Stinnett’s Facebook page saying Collier had done the same thing to her. Bowman’s son, Brett Eggers, then added more about the accusations from his mother in a Facebook group dedicated to Collier:
My mother Angie Cogdill Bowman, was in a dating relationship with Jason Collier in 2007. Jason claimed his wife and mother of his three year old daughter was dead. Jason said he had a crazy ex-girlfriend, who turned out to be his wife, Mandy Collier, who was not dead. My mother met his entire family and they did not say a word about his current wife or involvement with my mom. I believe he lived in Hereford, Texas with his father, and worked for the Friona Police Department. There’s a couple of small stories I vaguely remember of the guy, but he gives all Police Officers a bad name.
Another woman, Heather Owen, posted photos with Collier and shared other details:
Yep same damn thing! Didn’t propose but kept telling me he loved me! Was talking about the future, moving away to Wyoming. He portrayed himself as a Christian man. Would pray for our relationship and future. He had me thinking I had found mr. perfect! A friend of mine, seeing me fall hard and fast for this guy, decided to do some digging on him and found some things that pointed to him still be married. Called him out on it and he sent me the same b.s. annulment papers. I finally got confirmation from his brother via Facebook that he is still married! Had no clue he was doing the same damn thing with other women!
4. Collier Sent an Apology Video to Steinmetz Saying He ‘Feels Like the Biggest Piece of S***’ & Didn’t Mean to Hide Anything or Lie
Collier sent an apology video to Steinmetz, which she posted on Facebook. In the video, Collier said, “I feel like the biggest piece of s***. Sorry.” The video was recorded in Collier’s police vehicle while he was in uniform.
Collier continued, “I didn’t mean to hide anything or lie to you. Sorry. I’m so sorry. Please, I just want you to forgive me. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” In the video, his police radio can be heard in the background.
Steinmetz wrote on Facebook, “He has been gaslighting me today acting like I’m crazy and that everything I’ve found isn’t him. … I’m embarrassed, pissed off and humiliated.”
Shaffer said she met Collier in December and by the end of the month he had planned to propose. “He actually begged me to pick out a ring so he could ask my Dad for my hand….my parents live in Idaho,” she wrote on Facebook. Steinmetz replied to her comment, “he couldn’t wait to ask my dad as well.
When asked by another friend of there were other women, Steinmetz replied, “I’m sure there are more. He had asked both me and Kristi to marry him, the sooner the better he said.”
Steinmetz said on Facebook, “When I started questioning him about more things today he turned it on me and said we aren’t compatible anymore because he doesn’t feel I have a relationship with God and don’t go to church.”
FacebookA photo of Jason Collier in his office that he sent to Cecily Steinmetz.
Steinmetz and Shaffer said what they experienced was a form of “love bombing.” According to Healthline, “love bombing” is, “when someone overwhelms you with loving words, actions, and behavior as a manipulation technique.”
Shaffer wrote on Facebook, “He kept trying to buy me things, buy my kids things, and got angry when I said look I don’t need those things, I’m their provider. He made an excuse everytime I called him on something that didn’t fit. It always haunted me that he had sent me a photo of his bedroom. And kitchen and dining room.”
Steinmetz added, “that’s sick!! He wouldn’t let me pay for anything either. He used several different cards when paying for things on our trip this weekend. He also told me how attractive it was to him that I didn’t ‘need’ him and was self sufficient.”
5. The Drama Has Sparked Memes & Facebook Pages Calling for Netflix or Lifetime to Turn the Story Into a Movie or TV Series
FacebookJason Collier with Cecily Steinmetz.
The drama surrounding Collier has spawned memes and Facebook groups comparing it to a Netflix or Lifetime series. One group, “Jason Collier Netflix series” has more than 34,000 members. The city of Stinnett’s Facebook page has also been flooded with comments after posting the statement about Collier being placed on leave.
Shaffer wrote on Facebook, “gosh this IS a frigging Lifetime movie.” The situation has even inspired a song.
One woman wrote in the Facebook group, “Alright y’all, Jason pulled a wife, two fiancé’s, and a girlfriend looking like a potato. If you were about to give up on happily ever after, think again. This is the same guy who uses an exclamation point in every text he sends. New year, new you!!!!!”
Another said, “I need to hear from this man. How did he manage to juggle 4 kids, all these women AND a full time job!?!”
One person wrote in the Netflix group, “Y’all! This is the Tiger king of 2021.” Another group member wrote, “Some people hate Trump, some people hate Biden, but EVERYONE hates Jason Collier.”
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