In Westmoreland County, a Fairfield Township woman managed to escape Monday from a Bolivar man who was holding her against her will in her home.
State police say the victim tricked 26-year-old Zackery Collier into allowing her to leave by telling him that if she didn’t show up for work it would arouse suspicions. She went to a relative’s home and state police were summoned.
The incident began on Sunday night at around 8 PM when Collier showed up at the woman’s home, despite an active protection from abuse order against him that was filed in February. He is accused of acting erratically, following her inside, locking the door, and taking her car keys. Police say he destroyed her cell phone, threatened the victim repeatedly with a large hunting knife, and would not let her leave or call anyone. She managed to get away at about 8:45 Monday morning.
When state troopers took him into custody later in the morning, Collier was in possession of Ecstasy pills. He was arraigned on Monday morning on charges of felony terroristic threats and misdemeanor unlawful restraint, simple assault, harassment, and possession of a controlled substance. He also has a second case pending involving violation of the protection from abuse order. He is in the Westmoreland County Prison with no bail set and a preliminary hearing scheduled for Friday.
Collier has an extensive criminal history, including a number of convictions for theft and other crimes in Indiana County, most recently in 2018.
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