A church deacon who robbed a person at gunpoint throughout a Grindr hookup in Englewood in 2023 has been sentenced to eight years in jail.
Erick Collins, 31, pleaded responsible to 1 rely of theft and obtained the sentence from Choose Stanley Sacks. Prosecutors mentioned Collins pulled a gun on the sufferer throughout a springtime encounter organized by means of the LGBTQ-focused relationship app, then fled with a automobile belonging to the sufferer’s roommate.
In accordance with prosecutors, the sufferer and Collins started chatting on the app that morning. Collins requested the sufferer to “assist him out” and “be beneficiant,” prompting the sufferer to supply $40 if that they had intercourse, prosecutors alleged. Doorbell digicam footage captured Collins arriving on the man’s residence round 11:30 a.m.
Prosecutors mentioned the sufferer requested Collins to go away after rising uneasy as a result of Collins began wanting across the condominium as if he was evaluating the furnishings. Collins then demanded the $40 upfront. The sufferer mentioned the settlement was fee after intercourse, however he finally transferred the cash to Collins’ CashApp account and once more requested him to go. Collins allegedly demanded more cash as a substitute.
Prosecutors mentioned that because the sufferer moved towards two crated Huskies, Collins pointed a handgun at him and ordered him to not let the canines out. Collins then threw a part of a TV stand on the sufferer, who ducked and unintentionally tipped over the crates, sending the Huskies working towards Collins.
Collins allegedly grabbed a set of automobile keys belonging to the sufferer’s roommate and drove away within the roommate’s automobile, which contained the sufferer’s pockets. Surveillance video later confirmed Collins making an attempt to make use of the sufferer’s bank cards at a fuel station and a Walmart, prosecutors mentioned.
He’ll obtain a 50% sentence discount for good conduct and an extra 956 days of credit score for the time he spent on digital monitoring whereas awaiting trial. He’s scheduled to be paroled on March 4, 2027.
Prosecutors mentioned he has three prior felony convictions: for burglaries in 2013 and 2015 and possession of a stolen motorized vehicle in 2017.
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