Steven Lay Rollins

Deadly force

According to police, patrolmen E.B. Walters and D.G. Pierson tried to stop a Geo Tracker on WV10 in Oceana on suspicion of DUI. The officers called state police and off-duty OPD officers, Christopher Spears and Jeffery Barlow, for assistance when the driver, James Harrison, allegedly refused to stop. Harrison turned onto Huff Creek Hollow and then drove into the woods. Police said they used an all-terrain other to continue the pursuit, though Spears and Barlow were on foot. Around 2 a.m., Spears and Barlow saw Harrison's other in the woods. The officers opened fire when Harrison allegedly attempted to ram them. Passenger Steven Rollins was killed. Harrison was wounded. Barlow and Spears were charged with second degree murder, but Logan Circuit Judge Eric O'Briant signed an order dismissing the charges in August 2001. In January 2002, Barlow was indicted for voluntary manslaughter and unlawful assault. Spears was indicted for accessory before the fact to both charges. Barlow is now listed as the chief of police in Oceana, so presumably he wasn't found guilty.