A church deacon who robbed a man at gunpoint during a Grindr hookup in Englewood in 2023 has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Erick Collins, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and received the sentence from Judge Stanley Sacks. Prosecutors said Collins pulled a gun on the victim during a springtime encounter arranged through the LGBTQ-focused dating app, then fled with a car belonging to the victim’s roommate.
According to prosecutors, the victim and Collins began chatting on the app that morning. Collins asked the victim to “help him out” and “be generous,” prompting the victim to offer $40 if they had sex, prosecutors alleged. Doorbell camera footage captured Collins arriving at the man’s home around 11:30 a.m.
Prosecutors said the victim asked Collins to leave after growing uneasy because Collins started looking around the apartment as if he was evaluating the furnishings. Collins then demanded the $40 upfront. The victim said the agreement was payment after sex, but he eventually transferred the money to Collins’ CashApp account and again asked him to go. Collins allegedly demanded more money instead.
Prosecutors said that as the victim moved toward two crated Huskies, Collins pointed a handgun at him and ordered him not to let the dogs out. Collins then threw part of a TV stand at the victim, who ducked and accidentally tipped over the crates, sending the Huskies running toward Collins.
Collins allegedly grabbed a set of car keys belonging to the victim’s roommate and drove away in the roommate’s car, which contained the victim’s wallet. Surveillance video later showed Collins attempting to use the victim’s credit cards at a gas station and a Walmart, prosecutors said.
He will receive a 50% sentence reduction for good behavior and an additional 956 days of credit for the time he spent on electronic monitoring while awaiting trial. He is scheduled to be paroled on March 4, 2027.
Prosecutors said he has three prior felony convictions: for burglaries in 2013 and 2015 and possession of a stolen motor vehicle in 2017.
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