A church deacon from Tennessee found himself under arrest on Wednesday, facing nine charges of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor. The charges followed a disturbing discovery by his wife, who came across photos and videos on his phone showing a teenage babysitter undressing, showering, and using the toilet in their home bathroom.
Christopher Thomas Collins, aged 42, was promptly relieved of his duties as a deacon at Abba’s House in Hixson after the allegations surfaced, as reported by WTVC.
The arrest affidavit reveals that Collins had asked his wife to hold his phone while he underwent a medical procedure. During this time, she searched for signs of infidelity but instead uncovered explicit images of their former babysitter, a 15-year-old acquaintance.
Initially, she deleted the incriminating files, which appeared to have been captured by concealed cameras in the downstairs bathroom. However, she later took screenshots from the phone’s “recently deleted” folder. Seeking advice, she approached church staff at Abba’s House, who encouraged her to alert the authorities.
Confronted by his wife about the hidden cameras, Collins claimed they were intended to monitor for rats, according to a report by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Collins reportedly told his wife that he had forgotten the cameras were operational and had hidden the images to prevent making her jealous, as noted in the arrest report.
Police quickly took Collins into custody, fearing that evidence could be destroyed, and seized his cell phone, WTVC said. He later gave them permission to search the phone and his home.
At the home, they found small cameras and an older cell phone and obtained SD cards from them. One camera was near the water heater in the bathroom, focused on the shower and toilet.
Collins told police that he knew about the camers and used a mobile app to view images from them, saying that he had seen a nude image and kept it for a while before deleting it.
Police conducted a forensic examination of Collins’ phone and found nine video files recorded on hidden cameras in the bathroom. They showed a girl entering and exiting the shower, using the toilet and changing clothes. They were all time-stamped for last year.
The affidavit said the videos were taken without the girl’s knowledge and in a place she had a reasonable expectation of privacy.
A spokesperson for Abba’s House said Collins lost his deacon title when he was arrested.
“Through the course of a marriage counseling session, Chris Collins’ wife revealed that she had found videos on her husband’s phone of a minor,” the church said in a statement. “We immediately reported it to the police and they are handling the situation. We are caring for his wife and kids during this tragic time. Chris Collins had been a member of the church for four years and served as a deacon. He has been removed from that role.”
Collins is being held on a $450,000 bond, the Time Free Press reported.
