The man who was serving as a deacon at Abba’s House and was arrested after his wife allegedly found nude images of a minor on his phone had his bond reset at $225,000 Tuesday afternoon.
Christopher Collins appeared in front of Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Amanda Dunn.
Collins was initially charged with nine counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, and his bond was set at $450,000. Judge Larry Ables halved Collins’ bond to $225,000 in January. That’s $25,000 per count.
(READ MORE: Judge halves bond for former deacon arrested on charges of child sexual exploitation)
Collins’ public defender, Scott Davis, called Rylan Collins, Christopher Collins’ 19-year-old son, to testify on his behalf. Christopher Collins bonded out after the initial bond reduction and went to work renovating a basement, according to his son’s testimony during the bond hearing Tuesday.
Since then, the charges have changed. Now, Collins faces 15 counts of aggravated unlawful photography, a Class C felony. The initial charges were Class B felonies, a higher degree than the new ones. The bond for each count remained at $25,000, meaning the total bond was $375,000.
Collins was removed from his position as a deacon at the church after Collins’ wife sought advice from the pastor when she allegedly found images of a young girl who had recently stayed the night at their house.
Collins’ wife thought her husband installed cameras inside the downstairs bathroom. She told police the minor was seen using the shower and toilet, according to an arrest report in the case.
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Collins’ son and daughter, grandmother, mother and sister attended the Tuesday hearing in his support.
“We were connected to a lot of people, and every single person would stand up and vouch for him,” Rylan Collins said from the witness stand. “He’s amazing. He’s a wonderful father figure.”
Prosecutor Lee Sparks made the case that the bond, at $375,000, was fair, since it was consistent with the amount per count of the reduced bond. Collins was arrested again after the charges changed.
Dunn decided the new bond would be set at $15,000 per count, for a total of $225,000, the same as the bond set by Ables. If Collins bonds out again, he will be required to wear a GPS monitor and will not be allowed at Abba’s House or the victim’s residence.
Contact breaking news reporter Kailee Shores at kshores@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659.