Bolivar man accused of restraining woman, violating PFA
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A 26-year-old Bolivar man is accused of holding a Fairfield woman against her will for 13 hours Sunday and Monday, state police said.
Zackery A. Collier was arrested by state troopers and charged with harassment, terroristic threats, simple assault, unlawful restraint and illegal possession of Ecstacy pills. He is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bond.
Trooper Joshua Wiskeman reported in court documents that the woman said Collier was acting “erratically” when he appeared at her home Sunday and followed her inside, locking the door and taking her car keys.
“He removed the cell phone from the victim’s possession and destroyed it,” Wiskeman wrote in court documents.
Wiskeman said the woman got a Protection From Abuse order against Collier in February, which was still active.
According to police reports, Collier refused to allow the woman to leave or contact anyone during the incident. She told troopers he repeatedly threatened her with a large hunting knife.
According to court documents, the incident began around 8 p.m. Sunday and ended about 8:45 a.m. Monday.
Wiskeman said the woman tricked Collier into allowing her to leave Monday morning, telling him that she had to go to work and if she did not show up, it would trigger suspicion.
After she left, she went to a relative’s residence and state police were called.
When Collier was taken into custody later Monday, Wiskeman reported that troopers confiscated suspected Ecstasy pills from him.
According to court dockets, Collier, who used to live in Ebensburg, has an extensive criminal history in Cambria and Indiana counties and has been convicted of criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and flight to avoid prosecution, for which he received minimal jail time and was placed on probation. In 2018, he pleaded guilty in Indiana County to receiving stolen property, served one month in jail and was placed on probation for two years.
A preliminary hearing on the new complaint is scheduled Friday.